


Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)

by Mcwarr



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Steve, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Angst, Anxiety, Clint Barton & Tony Stark Friendship, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Hurt Tony, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Omega Tony Stark, Past Child Abuse, Protective Avengers, Protective Steve Rogers, Tony Angst, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, young Tony
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2020-06-25 03:20:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19737268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mcwarr/pseuds/Mcwarr
Summary: Nineteen year old omega Tony Stark is definitely, 100% totally capable of being the head consultant for the avengers initiative. Even when a mysterious villain seems to be dead set on bringing up every part of Tony’s past that he’s tried so hard to bury.Definitely, 100% totally capable.





	1. Can't face a dead man

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Please, Don't Believe Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1185015) by [Mcwarr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mcwarr/pseuds/Mcwarr). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story title inspired by Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)-- Acoustic by AURORA. great song that heavily inspired this song u should listen (: 
> 
> Hello to everyone reading this story! 
> 
> If you are someone who is coming from the story this one is based off of (Please, Don't Believe Me) PLEASE read the End Note. There are going to be some pretty big changes from the first one to this one that i'm kind of nervous about so just give that a read before commenting anything because I think it will clear a lot of things up.
> 
> If you are not aware this is a rewrite of a story I wrote five years ago. It IS linked below so if you really want to, you can go ahead and read it. Let me warn you though, it is incomplete and terribly written. You DO NOT need to read that story before this one and in fact I'd prefer if you didn't because it has SPOILERS for this story.

Tony takes a deep breath as he steps into Shield headquarters. He had been here countless times before, but that didn’t stop the deep-seated anxiety that fills him every time he walks in. He does his best to reign in his emotions. No one likes the smell of a weak omega, Tony reminds himself. He needs to hold his head high, stare at the picture of Aunt Peggy that’s hanging near the doorway, and pretend like he’s meant to be here. 

Which he totally is, by the way. This isn’t like the last time when he impersonated a janitor just so he could get information on Captain America’s apparent rescue and revival. Or like the time before _that_ when he had to sneak in late at night so that he could fill Clint’s locker with itching powder. This time the dread pirate Fury himself had called Tony in. 

To meet Captain America. 

Okay well _technically_ Tony was here to meet with all of the avengers, but he’s known Clint and Nat for a while and although meeting Dr. Banner and a demigod sounded exciting in their own ways, Tony has always had a soft spot for Captain America.

Tony has no idea what Fury is thinking letting a nineteen year old omega meet _the_ Captain America. Seriously, there’s no way Tony is going to get out of this meeting with his pride intact. Tony just knows something terrible is going to happen; he’s either going to cry the second he sees the man in uniform or he’s going to faint.

Or maybe Howard was right all along and Cap will take one look at Tony before scoffing and writing him off for what he is; a worthless omega. 

It’s not as if most Shield agents don’t feel the same way. People aren’t nearly as subtle as they think they are. Even now, as he’s walking down the hallway of one of the most secure buildings in New York City, he can hear their whispers. He knows exactly what they see when they look at him. Never mind the fact that he’s been building their weapons and transportation systems since he was sixteen, people would only ever see what they wanted to. Coulson’s pet project, Clint’s little shadow, Fury’s never-ending headache, a young, wild omega who needs to be taught his place. The words don’t bother Tony the way it used to, at least nowadays people just left him to his own devices for the most part. 

“Well would you look at that? I thought they took away your access card, _omega_.” A snide, rough voice calls from behind Tony. 

Like he said, for the most part.

Immediately Tony is tense, wincing as he presses the elevator button a little more frantically. 

Tony steels himself as best as he can, turning to meet Brock Rumlow head-on, taking a quick step back as he sees just how close the alpha is, their noses almost touching. Unfortunately for Tony, there isn’t much space to move away. The cold metal of the elevator door meets his back, making him shiver. Rumlow’s eyes drag down to Tony’s throat at the movement and Tony can’t help but clench his jaw. He _hates_ the way Rumlow looks at him. 

“Um, Fury called me in.” He says politely, not daring to turn his back to the alpha, but dismissing him as best he can with his words, he still doesn’t look up at Rumlow. He doesn’t _want_ to. It’s all he can do to not let his emotions run free. The last thing he wants is for the opposing alpha to see his fear, or even worse, _smell_ it. 

Rumlow smiles down at him, moving in as close as he can possibly go before actually touching Tony. The smile is all teeth, more of a threat than anything else. “Of course he did. There’s no other reason you came by? Seeing anyone special?” He asks in his usual patronizing manner. Rumlow has always been one of those alphas that treats omegas as if they’d never gotten past the second grade. 

“I really hope you’re not talking about yourself.” Tony mutters in disgust, nervously tapping his fingers against his jeans. He has made it clear countless times just how repulsive he finds Rumlow. “You should know by now I would rather bond with a cactus than with you, Rumlow.” He says hotly, pressing his hands against the alpha’s shoulders uselessly. 

“I’m sure I could change your mind.” Rumlow all but rumbles, breath now hitting against Tony’s neck, just above the space where claiming bites traditionally would be. Tony’s about three seconds from a full on panic attack, not sure if he’s about to fall to the ground in fear or start attacking the opposing agent with every move Nat’s ever taught him, when the elevator doors _finally_ open up. 

Tony had no idea how much weight he had been pressing against the doors because as soon as they open he’s all but diving into the confined space. Honestly, he probably would have ended up with a concussion if it weren’t for the frankly massive arms that caught him before he hit the floor. The elevator smells good, nothing like the sweaty, testosterone-driven Rumlow and the sudden change in atmosphere nearly makes Tony whimper with relief. 

Well, actually, it seems like Tony actually _did_ whimper out loud because suddenly, the stranger is staring down at him, looking incredibly worried and also drop dead gorgeous. 

Tony hardly notices the arms tightening from where they caught him around the waist because he’s busy drowning in the bluest eyes he’s ever seen. Blue eyes, dirty blonde hair, and a beard that frames a chiseled jaw line perfectly, Tony- 

Tony should really pay attention to what he’s saying. “W-what?” He asks, dumbly, trying to ignore just how hard his heart is pounding. 

“Is there a problem here? Rumlow?” The mystery alpha asks. Yes, _alpha_. If his overpowering scent didn’t give it away, his physique would have. He’s much broader than Rumlow or any other alpha Tony’s ever seen. His biceps are _huge_ and he’s _tall_. All of Tony’s life, he’s been told he’s short, even by omega standards, but he’s never felt shorter than he does right now. The top of his head is just brushing the alpha’s jaw, their proximity giving away just how huge their height difference is.

Before Tony registers his words all Tony can think is _this is an attractive man._

But once he registers the words, alongside the the dark, throaty growl the alpha had shot into Rumlow’s now pale face, Tony realizes. _This is a_ very scary, _attractive man._

The man barely said six words and Rumlow is literally shaking in his boots, backing off instantly and shaking his head. “We were just messing around, Steve. No big deal. You know how omegas are.” Rumlow laughs shakily and all but runs off as the doors begin to close. “See you in training!” 

Tony must look just about as confused as he feels because the alpha above him looks down, concerned, “Did he hurt you? Are you alright?” He asks, voice more gentle than Tony’s ever heard from an alpha before. 

Tony’s nodding before he can even finish his sentence. _Do not look weak in front of the beautiful alpha, Tony. Don’t you dare._

“Uh.. um, Yeah, of course.” Tony stutters, not sure what the best response would be at this point. “We were just ah… messing around.” He finishes, feeling only a little disgusting for agreeing with Rumlow, but also not wanting to step on anyone’s toes. He didn’t come in today to start any trouble.

The opposing alpha—Rumlow had called him Steve—looks unconvinced, but drops it. “Right, ah-“ He awkwardly lets his arms drop from where they were holding Tony, taking a step away from the omega, “Sorry, I just, you smelled really distressed and I-“ He cuts himself off, looking pained. 

“Um no, it’s totally fine, thank you.” Tony says, shifting awkwardly. “I’m Tony, by the way.” 

The other looks relieved at the change in subject, “I’m Steve.” He returns, shaking Tony’s outstretched hand heartily. 

The handshake goes on for a bit too long, Steve staring at Tony inquisitively. Tony really doesn’t mind. The more that Steve stares at _him_ , the more Tony gets to stare right back. 

Seemingly figuring out that their handshake is getting to the awkward side of _‘way too long’_ Steve lets go, chuckling weakly as he scratches the back of his neck. “Sorry, I don’t know why I’m acting so—you just smell really anxious.” Steve says, looking embarrassed as he says so. 

Tony huffs out a small laugh. “I’m just a little nervous for my meeting.” He admits, “Really, nothing to worry about. Sorry if it’s putting you on edge, though.” Sometimes smelling an omega in distress really freaks alphas out, although that usually doesn’t happen unless it’s an omega that the alpha has a familial relationship with. 

“No, no, don’t apologize! I was just.. making sure you’re alright.” The alpha says and geez, for a guy who looks the way he does, he’s pretty awkward. It strikes Tony as odd because the alpha clearly has a lot of confidence. Even in the way that he holds himself, legs in a wide stance as if ready for someone to come tackle him at any moment, and huge arms crossed over an equally huge chest, _screams_ confidence, but his words do the exact opposite. Most alphas who are half as attractive as this one have all of their lines written out and ready to go at the drop of a hat, but this guy seems much less rehearsed.

Tony’s already halfway in love. 

“So what’s got you so nervous?” The alpha asks after a beat of silence. 

Tony makes a face, unsure if he’s allowed to talk about exactly what his meeting is about. “Honestly, I’m scared to tell you because there’s a good chance if I accidentally tell you something confidential, Fury will have this elevator plummeting to the bottom floor in seconds. Then he’ll probably explode the whole building, just to make sure there were no survivors.” Tony says, completely serious. 

To his surprise, and complete delight, Steve laughs heartily at that. Most agents tense up whenever Tony makes fun of Fury, so it’s nice that someone finally understands just how ridiculous it is that they’re all living in a real life spy movie. “That sounds like something he’d do.” Steve agrees. 

“As for why I’m nervous let’s just say I’m meeting someone I’ve looked up to for a while.” Tony says, sighing as he realizes just how close he is to being in the same room as Captain America. “As in, my whole entire life. I’m pretty much meeting my childhood crush in a few minutes.” Tony says, leaning against the elevator wall in an attempt to ground himself.

Steve gives him an interested look, “You don’t say.”

“Yeah, so you can see why I’d be nervous. It’s not like I’ve been dreaming about this day for the past 19 years of my life. I had posters of him on my ceiling for years. I dressed up as him for Halloween for nine years in a row. And now I’m supposed to act like a normal human being? Okay well, not like I ever act _normal_ but you know what I mean. I wasn’t built for this kind of pressure.” Tony rambles, fully realizing how insane he probably sounds in front of this gorgeous alpha but he needs to do this. Maybe if he gets it all out now he won’t accidentally yell all of it in Captain America’s face when they finally meet. 

Steve is silent for a moment and Tony looks over to see what seems to be a smug smile on his face. “What?” Tony asks, confused, just before the elevator beeps loudly. 

The elevator door opens and Tony suddenly realizes he never even punched in a floor number. “Oh no, what floor is this?” He asks, stepping out alongside Steve. 

“it’s floor 25. You’re meeting with Fury, right? He’s on this floor.” Steve says. 

“Oh, thank goodness. You’re on this floor too?” Tony asks as Steve gestures for him to follow.

Steve nods, “We’re going in the same direction.” 

“So? Are you going to tell me what that look was all about back there?”

Steve glances down at Tony in a way that could only be described as fond. “You’re meeting Captain America today, right? You’re Howard Stark’s son?” 

Tony lets the questions sink in. 

Processing…

Tony tilts his head and stares up at Steve. 

Steve. 

Steve Rogers.

Captain America.

 _You’re Captain America? Why are you so young? Why aren’t you wearing red, white and blue? Why the hell do you have a beard?_

Okay so maybe, maybe it made sense that he wasn’t wearing the spangley outfit but nothing could possibly explain how the man still looked to be in his mid-twenties. Or the beard. That was really throwing Tony off. 

His blatant horror must show on his face because Steve looks guilty now, hand reaching out to _comfort him?_ Tony wants to bat it away. 

There’s no way he’d be able to comfort Tony right now. The younger still can’t even get over the fact that he really just went and rambled on and on about how nervous he was to meet his idol to his actual freakin’ idol. Not only that but Captain America was _hot_. Of course, Tony had always pictured him to be but he thought after all those years under ice would have at least aged him a _day_. And of course the good Captain couldn’t live with the fact that he was only the most attractive man the omega had ever seen, but he had also listened to Tony intently, made him feel safe after his altercation with Rumlow, and even joked around with him about Fury. 

_Tony knew he was perfect but he wasn’t supposed to be_ that _perfect._

The door that they’re standing in front of swings open abruptly, Clint Barton hurdling out of it and grabbing Tony into an embrace, nuzzling his neck like only packmates do. No matter how embarrassed Tony feels right now, no matter how much he feels like _crying,_ he can’t help but return the hug, letting out a noise that can only be compared to a purr as Clint ruffles his hair affectionately. “Finally! We’ve been waiting on you Tones.” Clint says playfully. “Well, both of you, actually.” He amends, nodding towards Steve—towards Captain freaking America. 

“Which, by the way, I’m a little bitter I didn’t get to see you two meeting. What did your face look like Tony? Did he say anything embarrassing? I bet he did. Did he tell you about the cardboard cutout?” 

“Clint.” Tony hisses as he shoves his supposed friend harshly. “There was no cardboard cutout.” He offers lamely, still not brave enough to meet Captain freaking America’s stupid, beautiful blue eyes. 

_How the hell was Tony supposed to know Captain America was still 20 something and beyond attractive?_

“Will you three stop wasting our time and get your asses in here?” Fury’s delightful voice yells from inside the office. Tony all but bolts in, nodding politely to Coulson and sending a salute Fury’s way. 

“Fury, glad to see you’re as bright and bubbly as always. Nat, hello.” He says cheekily, dropping down into a chair next to Nat, who graces him with a gorgeous smile and brushes a curly hair out of his face. 

“ _Moy kotenok,_ ” She all but purrs, tracing down his cheek and Tony preens under her attention. He hadn’t known Natasha nearly as long as he’s known Clint, but she feels like pack anyway. Clint had told him enough stories of her saving his sorry ass to make Tony respect her. 

“By the way, how come neither of you told me Captain America has a beard?” Tony asks dumbly, because _what_. He ignores Clint’s shocked laughter because this is a serious question. 

“Stark, now is really not the time.” Fury says, sounding incredibly tired so Tony decides not to push his luck. He also tries not to look Steve in the eyes because if he does, he might drown in his embarrassment. Either that, or drown in Steve’s eyes. Neither of which were ideal options give the current situation.

Tony does his best to revert his attention to the only other person in the room, someone who Tony was not aware would be joining their meeting but a familiar face nevertheless. “Dr. Banner.” He says, smiling at the scientist across the table. “It’s so amazing to finally meet you. I was at MIT a few years back when you gave that lecture on gamma radiation. It was absolutely incredible.” He praises genuinely, and it takes every ounce of his self-restraint to not add on a compliment about how much he _loves_ the hulk. 

Dr. Banner seems to appreciate it anyway, smiling back, “Thank you Dr. Stark, your work on… well, just about everything else is just as impressive.” 

As if Tony wasn’t already preening at Nat’s attention, this amount of praise, especially by someone he respected so much had him brimming with pride. 

“If you’re all done with your pleasantries, we did actually call this meeting for a reason.” Fury says blandly and Clint rolls his eyes at Tony furtively. “You all know why you’re here today. After the Battle of New York it’s become clear to the world that the Avengers Initiative is an absolute necessity. Most of you have been briefed on what’s expected of you up until the world needs you again. Stark, you’re here today because we need you on board. Your tech is unparalleled and, more importantly, your father was well involved in the creation of the initiative. We want you on as a consultant.” Fury’s words are quick and decisive. It’s clear he’s already made up his mind. “Stark Industries creates weapons and transport for Shield. I’m asking you specifically to take care of those things for the avengers.” 

Beside Tony, Clint shifts uncomfortably, his eyes hard and challenging as he looks to Fury, “That’s a lot to ask.”

“It is.” Fury agrees, not bothering to look at anyone other than Tony, “I don’t trust anyone else with the job.” He says and even though Tony was never planning on saying no, that definitely feels good to hear. As an omega in the weapons industry he’s heard a lot about being too emotional, too weak, and too _untrustworthy_ to be a good arms manufacturer. So to hear the head of one of the world’s most dangerous organizations say that he _only_ trusts Tony feels like a pretty big win.

Tony raises his eyebrows in interest. He eyes the room contemplatively, even chancing a glance at Steve—Captain freaking America. Would everyone on the team _really_ be okay with an omega being their consultant. “If everyone is comfortable with that, I’d be happy to help.” He says earnestly. 

Clint and Natasha instantly voice their support, but they weren’t really the ones he was worried about. He’s been making their tech since he was seventeen. 

Bruce sends a comforting smile Tony’s way. “I’m hoping I won’t be needed much on the field, but I am definitely excited to work with you in the lab sometime.” 

Tony smiles back appreciatively, but his nerves are still high. Bruce wasn’t really the one he was worried about either. 

He finally looks to Steve, clearly the one who's opinion he's been dreading. Steve was friends with Howard, he has to have similar feelings about omegas, doesn't he? Tony's fears aren't sated by the contemplative look in Steve's eyes. Tony braces himself, truly not ready to hear his childhood hero reject him. Even worse, he can feel Clint tensing up next to him in the way that alphas do when they feel challenged and he _really_ doesn’t want to see the man he sees as an older brother get beat up by Captain America. 

When the Captain does finally open his mouth, it’s definitely not the rejection Tony had been anticipating. “Are you comfortable with this, Tony? You know you can say no, right?” 

For a second, Tony's confused. Wondering what ulterior motives this question could have. For a second he nearly takes offense, wondering if Steve is questioning his abilities but then he meets Steve's eyes. And of course. _Of course_ Captain America didn’t have to settle for being Tony’s childhood crush, idol, and personal hero. He also had to be the kind of alpha Tony had only ever dreamed about. 

Steve isn't doubting Tony's abilities, he looks genuinely worried in the same way Clint did. Not only is avengers business dangerous stuff, but it would be time consumed and _hard_. 

Tony takes a moment to think before responding. “I want to help. In any way that I can. Clint and Natasha already have rooms in the tower. It only makes sense for the avengers to set up base there too. I’m totally fine with it. Beyond fine, in fact. You guys do all the hard work, I’ll just make you look cool.” Tony says, and all of it is _true_. Tony can’t do much. Clint and Nat have taught him how to defend himself but he's still _just Tony_. “I’ve never been much of a fighter, I’m just too small. But if there’s any way I can help defend the people who need to be defended, I want in.” he says simply, shrugging and sending a somewhat challenging look Steve’s way. 

It falls flat though, because Steve is staring at him like _that_ again, like Tony’s a complete enigma to him. He has that small smile on his face that makes Tony want to do whatever it is that he’s doing right now forever. Because if he can make Steve smile like that, he must be doing something right. Tony feels hot under all of the attention. It isn’t like how other alphas look at him; like he’s just a body made for their use. Steve looks at him like he’d like nothing more than to understand him. Like he wants to know _Tony_ , not Tony Stark. Tony isn’t even sure how a look can convey that and there’s a very good chance he’s just projecting his own feelings onto Steve. 

“I’m glad you’ll be our consultant then, Mr. Stark.” He says gently, and Tony tries his best to ignore Nat’s soft chuckle as his cheeks start to burn.

“Like I said before, it’s just Tony.” He murmurs, looking away and standing from his chair. “Alright well? Are we done here?” He asks, looking towards Fury. 

Fury, who looks like he’s trying his absolute hardest not to outright grin like a normal human being, nods, waving them all away. “All of your things will be transported to Stark tower within the next few hours. You’re all dismissed.”

Tony all but flees out the door, wanting nothing more than to go back to his tower and bury himself in work for the next 36 hours and _avoid avoid avoid_ the super-soldier who he had just inadvertently admitted his love to in an elevator of all places. 

“Hey, you okay?” Clint asks as he catches up with him easily, dropping an arm around Tony’s shoulders. The words are so familiar. Tony can still hear them like the first day they met, when Tony was just fifteen with bruises coloring his jaw and neck. That was the day their tiny pack of two had began—the day Clint had become the first and only person to know about Tony’s _problem_ and had taken it upon himself to teach Tony how to defend himself. Ever since that day Clint had been like Tony’s older brother, fiercely loyal and protective. Even though they didn’t see each other as often these days, nothing ever changed between the two of them. 

Tony rolls his eyes good-naturedly, clenching his hands so Clint won’t see the slight tremor going through them. “Of course. Fury just loves to catch me off guard. Luckily for him, the tower _does_ have a lot of extra room. And I’ve been bored lately. Your suit definitely needs an upgrade.” Tony teases, poking Clint in the side and giggling as the other jerks back and yelps loudly. 

“Geez, you give a kid all of the love and affection in the world and this is how he repays me? Slandering my suit and assaulting me. The youth these days.” Clint mutters, rubbing his side as if Tony had stabbed him. 

“Watch out, grandpa, your age is starting to show.” Tony counters, laughing loudly and picking up speed as he sees Clint start to give chase. 

Clint’s eyes are narrowed as he stalks towards Tony playfully, “Why you little…” 

“Um, I’m sorry to ah- interrupt. But can I talk to you-- Tony?” Captain America steps right in front of Tony, making the younger skid to a halt, still laughing lightly but scared as hell at the idea of yet another private conversation with Captain America.

Clint laughs, clapping Tony on the shoulder a bit too hard, “Sure thing, Cap. Tones, meet at the lobby, kay? We can head to the tower together.” He calls over his shoulder, not even giving Steve a second look. It goes to show just how much he must trust Steve, because Tony can’t remember the last time Clint left Tony on his own with _anyone_ , let alone another alpha. 

Well if Tony wasn’t shaking before, he’s definitely shaking now. Unceremoniously, he shoves his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. 

“Hey, I just wanted to apologize for how we started things. I hope I didn’t freak you out.” Steve says, eyes so blue and honest, Tony has no idea how anyone ever stays mad at him. 

Tony lets out a self-deprecating laugh and looks at the ground, “I think freaked out is one word for what I was feeling.” He replies nervously, not really wanting to meet Steve’s eyes quite yet. “I’d honestly appreciate it if you just… you know, forgot everything I said in the elevator.” Tony tries, wincing only slightly as he meets Steve’s eyes, which look way too charmed for the current situation.

“Oh come on, you didn’t say anything that bad.” Steve says, unsuccessfully trying to cover his amusement. 

“I told you about the Halloween costumes!” Tony argues, covering his face with his hands as he feels himself getting flustered.

“Hey, hey, no, it’s okay, it’s fine.” Steve grabs Tony’s hands and pulls him from his face, taking another step closer so Tony’s nose just about bumps into his chest. “I’m just teasing, don’t worry, I already forgot everything you said anyway.” Steve soothes as he attempts to lie unconvincingly. 

Tony is quiet for a minute, mostly because he’s trying to memorize the feeling of Steve’s rough, calloused hands gripping his own but also because he’s trying to keep himself from stuttering, “Thank you.” 

Steve’s hands drop his, but the grin on his face turns mischievous. Tony sees it coming a mile away. “Was it really nine times though?” Steve asks, unable to keep himself from laughing as Tony shoves him half-heartedly. 

It doesn’t help that Tony’s “shove” didn’t even come close to budging Steve. Not even close. “You’re a troll, you know that?” 

After allowing Steve to calm down from laughing at _his own joke_ , Tony sighs. “You know, you could’ve told me or something, before I went and embarrassed myself like that.” Tony says half-heartedly, sounding more pitiful than anything else. He’s smiling though, wanting Steve to know he’s not actually that upset. 

Steve laughs, neck turning slightly red as he scratches at it. No one should be allowed to be this attractive. It’s really not fair. “I thought it was cute.” He replies, smile genuine and soft and dear god, Tony is so not okay. He can feel the blush creeping up his own neck slowly but surely. “Plus, I didn’t even know that you were the Tony I was meeting today. Your dad… he was a lot taller and broader.” He says, as if that really explains anything. 

Tony tries his best to ignore the mention of his father. He knows Cap was friends with his dad when they were in the war together. Howard was probably very different back then. Still, he hopes Steve gets the hint to leave Howard out of their conversations. “Well, I _am_ an omega, so…” Tony trails off, making a point to look up at Steve, pointing out their very poignant height difference. He expects Steve to laugh or to ruffle his hair. He expects something like what Clint would do, maybe make a joke about how short Tony is or call him adorable. 

He does not expect Steve to stare back, eyes hooded as he tilts his head to the side. Tony hadn’t noticed how close they were before. His voice is low, deeper than it had been before as he agrees, “Yes, you are.” 

There’s _no way_ Tony’s imagining this, right? He didn’t fall into some alternate dimension while on an inventing binge, _right?_

Maybe he is just delirious. One second the air in the hallway feels tense, the quiet isn’t so much awkward as it is _charged_ with some emotion Tony can’t define. But the moment passes and the two step away from each other, almost at the same time as Natasha strolls past them, looking more smug than Tony had ever seen her before. 

Oh god, he’ll never hear the end of this. 

“You boys coming, or what?” 

The two don’t even glance at each other before scrambling after her.

* * *

Tony lets out a relieved sigh as the doors to his workshop slide closed. 

After giving the avengers a quick of the communal spaces on the residential floor and introducing everyone to JARVIS, Tony sneaks away to the workshop as quickly as possible. 

His day has been long, anyway. Even after completely embarrassing himself in front of his childhood hero, Tony spent most of the rest of the day learning more about the avenger’s initiative and their day-to-day life. AKA he learned a lot about the improvements he was going to need to make to the gym area. Apparently the world’s mightiest heroes take their training very seriously. He also learns that one member of the team is currently off-world. It’s a bummer, because Tony had been really looking forward to meeting an alien, but Clint assures him that Thor will be back as soon as he takes care of Loki’s trial in Asgard. 

Clint also tells Tony a lot about Captain America. Clint didn’t really like the guy at first, which doesn’t really surprise Tony. Cap strikes Tony as the kind of guy who takes his day job very seriously, which is just about the opposite to how Clint treats it. 

They seemed to have worked through their issues by now though because they’re already tossing insults and bantering between themselves like they’ve been friends for years. It’s nice, Tony decides, to see this side of Steve first. Tony has a feeling if he met the straight-laced Captain America version first they might not have gotten along that well either. 

Clint tells Tony that Steve is an amazing leader, that he trusts the captain with his life, and that he thinks the alpha is incredibly lonely. 

It makes Tony’s stomach drop, the way Clint looks when he tells him. Especially how Clint cuffs him on the back of the head lightly and gives him that proud older brother smile as he gently shrugs, “He kinds reminds me of you.” 

And don’t get Tony wrong, it’s a _blessing_ that he gets to watch Steve’s face as he takes in all of the amazing tech he has laying about his home. In particular, the way Steve’s eyes light up and grins as Jarvis sasses at Tony about not having eaten in a few hours makes the whole day worth it. 

But, like it or not, Tony has work to do and SI’s board members have been waiting for him to fall behind and screw things up for every single one of the seven months he’s been CEO. He refuses to give them a reason to push out the only omega they have on their board of trustees. He’s already made history by being the first omega to own and operate a fortune 500 industry, and he’s not planning on letting it slip through his hands anytime soon. 

And besides that, Tony _loves_ his job. Weapons development had taken a backseat to the new and upcoming clean energy stint Tony was on, but the past few days he’s been working on something new. 

If there was one thing Howard Stark could never completely achieve it was arc reactor technology. Tony remembers the days when Howard would come home after a long day at failing to successfully understand the theories surrounding it. He remembers the broken cheekbone his sass had earned him after he teased his dad for not being able to figure it out. Things like that weren’t easily forgotten.

But Tony was on a roll and during the meeting he had somewhat of a breakthrough. 

Meeting Doctor Banner had reminded him of something he had learned a long time ago back when he was at MIT. If the polarity between isotopes wouldn’t create the amount of energy he needed for the energy that the reactor would require, then maybe _radioactive_ isotopes would be enough to create a circuit of electricity that could potentially power it. 

The science wasn’t completely sound, but it was Tony’s best shot at this point. He wasn’t even positive that the arc reactor was a good idea for mass production. Yes, it would serve as an amazing step towards clean energy for the entire world. But it would also be a huge temptation, and Tony knows the board of SI and even worse, the military, would want the technology for something else. Something bigger and much more dangerous. 

“Sir, it would seem that my systems are mal- _mal_ -malfunction-“ Jarvis’ voice, glitching and pitchy, cuts off, startling Tony out of his work and making him push the goggles on his face up onto his head.

“Jay?” Tony calls, standing slowly and reaching for the welding torch on his desk hesitantly. Jarvis didn’t just ‘malfunction.’ 

“So you’re the one they call merchant of death, hm?” A heavily accented, feminine voice calls from behind him. 

Tony suppresses a yelp, turning quickly and holding the torch up in his hand like a weapon as he looks around. The workshop darkens as he turns, the shadows in the room creeping inward slowly as if they had a life of their own, tendrils lashing out and covering the space he often thinks of as his safe place in complete darkness. The only light he can make out is bloody, red and blurry. His head pounds and he can feel his pulse rising, almost against his own will and his vision narrows into a red haze. “Wh-what the hell?” Tony whimpers, stumbling slightly and bracing himself against the desk as the haze begins to form into a human shape. It’s terrifying; smoky, not quite transparent but opaque enough to make out a body creeping towards him. He can’t make much out, the blood rushing in his ears sounds like a waterfall and he feels impossibly distracted. 

The room has filled with a high pitched ringing, as if a bomb had just gone off and his ears don’t work properly anymore. He wants to search the room again, look for any kind of light, for Dum-E’s familiar presence or even check to see if he can bolt to the door but he can’t because he’s paralyzed in fear staring at the form in front of him that’s gradually becoming more clear.

When his eyes finally come into focus he just about drops to the ground in terror.

Because there in front of him is Howard Stark. 

“No… no…. _you’re dead._ This is impossible.” He whispers, shaking violently as he pitches backwards, falling to the ground with a clatter. He doesn’t stop moving though, all but crawling backwards until he slams into the wall. 

The _thing_ impersonating his father steps forward, grinning cruelly like Tony’s the most hilarious thing he’s seen in years. 

_Which he probably is, Howard is dead, so dead, he’s been dead for years and yet here Tony is still shaking like a leaf and close to tears just like he was when he was ten. Weak, worthless, pathetic omega. Can’t even face a dead man._

“Now, now, Anthony, that’s not how we speak to our elders.” The voice is _in his head_ , curling into his brain almost _gently_ ; still distinctly feminine but it’s not as funny as it should be—seeing his father speak with a woman’s voice. If anything it scares him even more because it may not be his father’s voice but that’s a phrase he heard from Howard many times. It was always the reprimand he received after any kind of back talk. Always the gentle parental warning he would receive _after_ Howard backhanded him with his class rings on and kicked him in the ribs a few times. 

Tony’s so scared he nearly finds himself apologizing. He opens his mouth. _Sir, I’m so sorry, sir, it won’t happen again, sir._

Then he hears it. Somehow, over the constant thrum of his overactive heartbeat, over the high pitched screeching and the voice snarling in his head he can hear something _pounding_ on the door with all its might. People are yelling. His name? 

Tony flinches as a _very real_ , rough hand grips his chin in another familiar move. The hold is strong, too tight on his jaw and Howard’s angry face stares back. “This is a warning, Stark. You must choose sides very wisely, as your father did, _boy_.” 

With that, his father disappears. The hand holding his jaw dissipates as if it was never there in the first place and Tony stares, wide-eyed at the well-lit room from his place curled in on himself against the wall. The doors to the workshop open in an instant and it’s all Tony can do to throw the forgotten welding torch as hard as he possibly can in that direction, scrambling up. 

As he stands, he sees that he didn’t just launch a successful attack against a villain, but rather launched a marginally unsuccessful attack at Clint. The torch lands at his feet. It makes the archer start, but not even the frankly laughable throw could remove the worried expression from any of the avenger's faces. 

Tony expects Clint to be the one rushing over first but to what seems like everyone’s surprise it’s Steve, marching over and placing a hand hesitantly on the back of Tony’s neck in a comforting gesture. “Tony, what the hell happened? Are you okay?” 

Tony knows he probably looks insane. His eyes are wide and his breaths completely uneven, not to mention the fact he still has goggles still half perched on his head and he’s shaking like a leaf. “I’m- I’m fine. I just. It was Howard.” Is all he can get out, his voice quaking and uneven. He barely notices as he stumbles forward into Steve’s arms for the second time that day but this time actively seeking comfort. He can feel his own nails digging into Steve’s shoulders but he can’t help it, the gravity of what just happened sinking in quick. Steve's hand stays planted at the back of his neck, pushing his face into Steve's own neck and breathing in the barely familiar yet _comforting_ scent.

“I think he’s going into shock.” He can hear Steve murmur to the others, even as his strong hands sooth down Tony’s back comfortingly, shushing him quietly. 

“What do you mean, Tony, you have to explain.” Steve says, clearly trying his best to use his best calm and collected alpha voice to help ease Tony’s worries but the omega is beyond that point, shaking his head frantically and pulling away. 

“No, no, no, you don’t understand. He didn’t have his voice but it was _him_. He’s dead but he was _here_ and it was _him._ He said- he said I have a choice to make and that he was warning me. Oh my god. He’s going to come back what if he comes back?” Tony asks, now opting to dig his nails into his own arms, grounding himself as best he can. He can’t even tell if he’s in a dream or not anymore. Steve is gripping his arms, trying to keep Tony from hurting himself but Tony is scared in a way he hasn't been in a _long_ time. 

Steve seems to be able to hear his thoughts now. “I know, I know it was scary, but you need to calm down Tony. I promise, I’ll protect you, okay? You just need to calm down.” 

The omega’s eyes finally focus in on Steve, blue locking into amber intently. The others may be talking too but there's only one voice he's hearing now. _Alpha_. “You’ll… you’ll protect me?” He asks, voice small and disbelieving. In the back of his head he can already _feel_ how embarrassed he’s going to feel later on. But right now he's running on pure instinct, his true nature completely taking over. He’s a terrified, distressed omega, seeking any kind of comfort from an alpha he doesn’t know well, but one that has already protected him once before and one that his packmates trust with their lives. 

“Of course I will Tony. Nothing bad is going to happen to you, okay? We’re going to find out what happened, okay? I will _personally_ deal with whoever put you through this.” Steve’s voice is dark as he says this and Tony watches in interest as his blue eyes harden into something much more sinister and terrifying. Tony believes Steve, every word he says. “You’re going to be just fine, I promise.” 

Tony nods, his breathing finally evening out as Steve’s hands continue their soothing ministrations down his arms. He looks back up at Steve and hesitates before he speaks, “I think I’m going to pass out now.” 

Finally, the darkness overtakes him. 

_Feel free to follow[my tumblr](winterironstony.tumblr.com), I post updates on there first & also take prompts :) _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ummm okay I'm beyond nervous posting this for some reason. If you dont like long authors notes feel FREE to skip this bc it might be a doozie.
> 
> I wrote Please, Dont Believe Me when I was 15, over five years ago. If you happen to go back and read that one, I'll warn you, the writing is not good, the tropes were overused, and it was B O R I N G. I really had no earthly idea what I was writing and had no plans for the fic's plot. That's where this one is different. I HOPE my writing has gotten better but i know for a fact my planning is much better on this one. I know some people may be upset that I made this universe A/B/O. I was really hesitant to do so but I did it because the story NEEDED something else to it. I just couldn't find a reasoning behind a lot of the plot points I wanted to get to and this helped out a lot with creating drama >:) 
> 
> There's going to be a lot of changes to this story but also a majority of the bones are STAYING. the villain is different because back then i thought loki was a villain (??? the clownery) and there are no more weird ass original characters (literally why tf did i have an main "original" character named peter? who let me do that) and Tony is no longer a completely ignorant innocent child because no nineteen year old with the backstory he has would be that dumb and i was doing Tony Stark a disservice by treating him like that.
> 
> WITH THAT BEING SAID there is going to be a little bit of out of character behavior from everyone because its fanfiction and that's how it be sometimes. I hope that the people who read Please Dont Believe me are happy to see it back, even if it's in a different form. If you don't like the changes I made, please just keep it to yourself and feel free to not read this version! The old story is still up and though it's unfinished, it will always be up. Like i said before, there are different elements in this story but for the most part the plot is going to be EXTREMELY similar. 
> 
> The GOOD NEWS is that you guys can let me know what parts of the old story you’d like to see come back and/or give me ideas on how to make this story better than the last. I love hearing your ideas and comments really help me work faster ;) 
> 
> Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a comment & kudos if you did bc it really does make my day :)
> 
> Also look we can shave the beard if we really don’t like it but bearded steve is criminally underrated in fanfiction we need more of him.
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> Tony: on my way to meet captain america!!! Not nervous at all just about to meet my reason for existence hah aha aha ha
> 
> Steve: *exists
> 
> Tony: oh no he’s hot


	2. Kill or be killed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve never meant to have these kind of feelings, okay? 
> 
> Conversations are had and realizations are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone sm for all of the support on the first chapter :))) 
> 
> I truly appreciate all of the kudos & comments. I probably wouldn't have continued the story if it weren't for y'all's support. 
> 
> Tumblr: winterironstony.tumblr.com  
> always looking for people to talk to about how much we stan tony stark

Steve didn’t intend on being this protective over an omega he met less than twenty four hours ago, but here he is. And honestly, he knows what it probably looks like to the other avengers but it’s _really_ not his fault. 

It was _not_ his fault that he had caught Tony in that elevator after Rumlow was roughing him up. Really, Steve’s been protecting him since the moment they met so what did they expect? 

It’s _not_ his fault that Tony is the single most attractive person he’s ever seen. Whiskey eyes framed by dark eyelashes and messy hair that curls at the ends—it’s like one of Steve’s dreams came to life. He’s _tiny_. Probably smaller than Steve was before the serum. And his smile, well. It’s not like Steve’s never had an omega smile at him before. Hell, just about every omega he’s met since the serum has sent him their best and brightest. Not a single one compares to the smile this omega gives him.

It’s also _not_ his fault that Tony’s the best smelling omega he’s ever scented. Even when distress and fear were marring his scent, Steve could tell he was in trouble. He spent a whole minute in the elevator staring at the omega in his arms, just taking in the his scent before he realized how creepy he was probably being. Since the serum, Steve really wasn’t as awkward as he used to be but this new omega apparently had a way of bringing back the Steve Rogers who weighed 90 pounds soaking wet. 

And then he starts rambling on about his love for Captain America, not even realizing who he’s speaking to and Steve knows he’s a goner. 

So it _definitely_ isn’t his fault that he is furious right now. It’s taking all of Steve’s self-control to not let instinct out and growl as Tony collapses in his arms. He can feel the presence of the other alphas behind him and it sets him on edge.

A growl leaves Steve’s throat, something feral and fierce as the scent of _DANGER_ hits him like a truck. He pulls his eyes away from _vulnerable, hurt, scared omega_ to see Natasha, crouched low, and eyes narrowed. 

“Cap, stand down. Nat just wants to check Tony’s vitals, that’s all.” Clint says calmly, stepping forward with his hands raised. 

Steve blinks hard and tries his best to relax, opening his posture slightly. “Geez, Nat, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I haven’t been around many omegas for a while and…” He winces, already guilty and embarrassed at his outburst.

Nat shakes her head. “I understand, Cap, it’s okay.” She takes a hesitant step forward, her walk much more controlled and calm than it was before. She checks Tony’s pulse and looks for signs of a concussion as she feels around his head, checking for any source of trauma. “There’s no signs of any real injury, but he was talking about a visual and auditory hallucination. I think we should get him over to the couch so he can lay down. I'll go get Bruce.” She says decisively, nodding to Steve as she leaves the room in search of the doctor. 

Steve sighs lightly, already thinking of ways he should apologize and begins moving towards the couch so he can lay Tony down. 

“It’s alright, Steve. Like you said, you haven’t been around omegas for a while and Tony has a way of bringing out everyone’s protective side.” Clint tries, even as he keeps his distance. 

The alpha goes to lay Tony down, gently putting him down on the couch. Steve startles, only slightly, as a whimper leaves Tony’s mouth and a hand grips his t-shirt tightly as he tries to pull away.

Steve looks up at Clint, looking for some kind of direction or maybe even permission, but the other alpha just looks concerned, eyes locked on Tony. "If you holding him comforts him, you need to hold him." He says, voice teetering on the side of threatening, his words a clear demand. Steve doesn't hesitate, grabbing the hand locked in his t-shirt and maneuvering himself so he’s back to holding the omega in his lap. He tries not to focus on how much more relaxed he feels like his, nose pressed lightly into Tony’s hair as the younger’s face nuzzles into the juncture between Steve’s shoulder and neck.

Bruce and Nat enter the workshop, the scientist moving towards Steve and Tony with a worried look. Bruce's scent is dull, like most betas smell to alphas and omegas, and Steve appreciates it. Bruce wastes no time in checking over the omega's heart rate similar to what Nat did while also looking for any signs of broken bones or any other physical injury. "This isn't really my area of expertise," Bruce admits, "He seems fine, but we should really get him to a doctor." 

JARVIS intones quickly, "There are several doctors in the tower's medical bay on the 40th floor." Impossibly, the AI sounds worried.

They all nod but Bruce lays a hand on Steve's shoulder, stopping him from getting up immediately. "Just give him a moment, if he _has_ been through any kind of head injury, it might be wise to give him some time before jostling him around."

Steve sits back, trying his best to reign in the constant worry that's probably invading his scent. He can feels Nat's eyes on him, and not for the first time he's reminded at just how dangerous she feels. His instincts can never settle down when she's around. 

“God I can’t believe you guys are snuggling right now.” Clint snorts, breaking the tense silence in the room, only wincing when Nat and Steve’s sharp gazes focus on him. “Sorry, sorry.” He rectifies quickly, hands up defensively. “It’s just 16 year old Tony would have _died_ if he knew that one day he would be cuddling with Captain America.”

Neither Steve nor Natasha’s glare lessens at his amusement, but apparently, Tony finds it funny. 

The omega in Steve’s arms snorts lightly, “Shut up, Clint. I’m not cuddling with anyone.” His voice is muddled, sounding completely sleep deprived and all kinds of adorable. “Definitely not Cap, I would remember that.” He says, despite the fact he’s currently digging himself deeper into Steve’s hold. 

“Hate to break this to you buddy, but you kind of are.” Clint says teasingly, and Tony’s eyes blink open blearily. 

“You’re so full of –” Tony stops in his tracks, hands patting around Steve’s shoulders and moving slowly down to his biceps. 

His eyes snap open, looking up at Steve. “You’re definitely not Clint.” 

Clint squawks, offended, “You only figured that out after feeling his muscles! I have biceps too, you know!” 

“Not like Steve’s, you don’t.” Tony quips back, though his face is slowly turning red. He scrambles to get up, huffing only slightly as Steve stops his movements. 

“Just take a minute, Tony, you only passed out a few minutes ago,” He reprimands lightly, helping the omega sit up on his own. Steve removes his arms from around Tony but doesn’t move away. 

Tony lets out a breath, glancing up at the room full of avengers around him. “So does anyone want to tell me what’s going on or do I have to guess?” 

Steve’s amused, somewhat pleased expression falls at that. “You don’t remember?” He asks, concerned.

Tony blinks up at him. 

“Tony… you were attacked. Or something. Jarvis went down in the workshop levels and hasn’t been able to retrieve any footage yet. We didn’t see anything but you were… pretty shaken when we finally got to you.” Steve explains as lightly as he can.

Tony pales. “So.. that _wasn’t_ just a really bad dream, huh?”

Clint steps forward, eyes worried, “What do you remember, Tony?”

Tony slumps forward, hands coming up to his temples. “My head hurting _really_ bad. Like it was about to explode. I think there was a woman? She… she brought Howard. He was _here_ , Clint.” Tony says, locking eyes with the archer. 

Clint looks troubled at the words. Everyone does, but Steve can see an extra shade of something behind his teammates eyes. In the short amount of time Steve’s known Clint, the man had never had such a violent look in his eyes. 

“She… _he_ told me. I have a choice to make. There really wasn’t much else. It was just…” Tony trails off once more looking towards the ground. “It was really scary. It wasn’t _human_.” He says, looking embarrassed but so terrified it’s all Steve can do to not run off and make good on his promise to track down whoever hurt Tony like this. 

“It’s definitely strange.” Bruce agrees softly. Tony startles, seemingly unaware that the quiet beta was in the room. “Especially considering whatever it was just so happened to attack the day we all move in.”

Tony’s head snaps to look in Clint’s direction, an alarmed look in his eyes, “Do you think it’s a coincidence? The timing?”

Clint furrows his eyebrows, “I doubt it. The avengers having just moved in and you having just agreed to work with us… there’s no way this is random.” 

Tony’s already shaking his head and Steve can feel the younger shuddering next to him, “No, Clint. Tomorrow is the anniversary. It’s the anniversary and he’s _back_. Jesus, it’s only been two years how is he back—” 

Steve nearly growls as Tony is pulled from his arms but stops himself just in time. He avoids eye contact with Natasha, not wanting to see another one of her judgmental looks. He’d apologize later. Hopefully after he gets his emotions in check. 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Tones.” Clint says soothingly, holding Tony in a fierce hug. Something that feels like jealousy pricks at the back of Steve’s head. He remembers when he loved someone like that. He remembers having that brotherly affection for someone, wanting to protect them against the entire _world_ if you had to. He closes his eyes, no sense in thinking about that right now. 

“The anniversary of what?” He hears Bruce whisper helplessly to Natasha. Steve already knows. Tomorrow will mark three years since Howard and Maria Stark were killed in a car accident. 

Clint is still murmuring to Tony, this time much quieter to the point that Steve can’t hear much. It takes a moment before the two step away from each other. “Alright.” Clint sighs, squeezing Tony one more time before looking to Steve. “Cap, what’s our plan?” 

“We try and get the footage from the workshop. It will be a lot easier to find whatever this is if we know what we’re looking for. We tell Shield everything we know and do an in-depth search into any and everybody who may have a vendetta against Tony or us. Then we find this bastard and remove the threat. Until then, Tony, you don’t go _anywhere_ without Shield agents or one of us. Not until we find out who’s targeting you, understood?” 

Tony looks rebellious for a moment, clearly not happy with the situation. One look at Steve, though, and he’s done, nodding his head unhappily. “Understood.”

Nat and Bruce leave the workshop first, and Clint follows soon after another crushing hug. 

Steve stays behind. “Tony, are you sure you’re alright?” He asks, trying his best not to wince at his own awkwardness. Of course he’s not alright.

Tony smiles, small, almost embarrassed. “Kind of tired of embarrassing myself in front of you, to be honest.” He laughs self-deprecatingly. 

Steve sputters. “How have _you_ made a fool of yourself?” 

Because Lord knows Steve’s made a fool of himself. Acting like an alpha in rut; growling at his friend because she got to close to an omega he thinks is attractive, ordering said omega around like Tony is his, and nearly ripping Tony’s packmate’s hands off for grabbing the omega. Steve has clearly never been the smoothest alpha in the world. 

_At least Bucky would think it’s funny if he was here._

Tony laughs. “I don’t know, me collapsing in your arms for the _second time in one day_ might be a part of it. Oh, and me begging for you to protect me like I’m some damsel in distress.” He huffs, “Totally embarrassing.” 

“I don’t mind.” Steve blurts, reddening at the surprised look Tony gives him. “What I mean is…” Steve trails off. _God, why is he so awkward._ “I was already planning on protecting you and tracking down whoever did this to you. Plus, if you falling into my arms twice a day is my biggest problem in life… well, that sounds like a pretty damn good life to me.” 

Tony flushes, a delighted looking smile overtaking his face and Steve wants to _preen_ knowing he was the one who put it there. “Thanks, Steve.” He says, soft and genuine as he flops back into a chair near his workbench. “I’m gonna get to work on finding that footage of the workshop, alright?” 

“Sounds good. But first, Tony, I want you to go to medical and make sure everything is okay.” Steve says decisively. 

This time Tony complains, “That’s definitely not necessary, Cap. Look at me, I’m fine.” He stands straight and raises his arms, rotating around as if to show him he’s not injured. 

“Physically, yes, I think you’re okay, but I still want someone to check up on you. Didn’t JARVIS say there’s a medical bay in the tower somewhere?” 

Tony opens his mouth, looking ready to deny everything but JARVIS beats him to the punch. “There are indeed doctors on call on the 40th floor, Captain Rogers.”

Tony glares fiercely up at the ceiling. “I warned you, Jay. You’re off to Goodwill next thing tomorrow morning.” 

“I will miss you dearly, sir.” Jarvis quips, sounding incredibly human.

“You’d better.” Tony agrees, turning to roll his eyes at Steve as if exasperated with his own creation.

Steve returns the look with a smile. “Let me walk you there,” He offers a hand to help Tony stand. 

Tony’s eyes stay narrowed but eventually he gives it up, huffing and taking Steve’s hand, “Don’t get used to getting your way, Rogers.”

Steve tries his best to hide his grin, “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

* * *

Steve doesn’t hear much from Tony for the rest of the day. When Steve asks after him, JARVIS assures him that the doctors cleared Tony after a quick checkup and that he’s been trying to get the footage from the workshop for the past few hours. 

When Steve asks again the next morning, JARVIS’ answer is the same. Steve blinks. “Has he been doing that all night?” 

JARVIS answers, “Sir has been in his lab for approximately 12 hours.”

“He needs to eat. And go to sleep. What the hell is he thinking?” Steve is standing at once, ready to bust open the workshop doors just as he had the day before.

Clint laughs from where he’s sitting at the breakfast bar. “Cap, 12 hours isn’t even that long for Tony. You’d probably have an aneurism if you knew how long his worst inventing-binge was.” 

Steve’s eyes tighten, “How long?” 

Clint frowns slightly, “Jay, remind me?”

“Sir’s longest amount of time spent consecutively in the lab was 4 weeks ago. He was in the workshop for 58 hours.” Somehow the AI manages to sound disappointed. 

Clint laughs again, probably due to the horrified look on Steve’s face. 

Just as Steve's about to have a full blown melt down and storm the workshop himself, Tony bursts into the room.

“Tony,” Steve starts, but Tony cuts him off, brushing Steve’s chest lightly as he passes by.

“No time for a lecture right now, Cap, I got the footage from yesterday.” 

“Nice work, small stuff, let’s see it.” Clint says, jumping from his seat and following Tony to the couch. 

Steve frowns, pins Tony with a look that says _‘we’re going to talk about this later,’_ and moves to sit next to Tony, who’s already pulling the video up.

To say the least, the video was not as helpful as they had thought. There are very little visuals. Tony had told them that his vision had gone dark but it seemed as though the entire workshop was experiencing the same issue. There’s a tinge of red smoke and a few visible shadows, but nothing concrete. Tony cringes as he turns on the audio and Steve’s heart _hurts_ as he hears Tony’s terrified voice once more. Steve and Clint glance at each other as the distinctly female voice crackles over the speakers. The voice is completely unrecognizable. There’s a heavy accent, but Steve can understand how Tony was confused seeing as the voice sounded layered, as though several people were speaking at once. 

Steve sighs as the Tony shuts off the video just as the avengers had burst through the door. He looks disappointed. “Not really much help, but…” 

Clint makes a face. “Well, at least it’s something. Whoever this is has some connection to Howard.” The two packmates share an undefinable look. “That narrows down the search some.” He claps a hand on Tony’s shoulder encouragingly. “Good job, Tones.” 

Tony nods, giving Clint one more look before standing. “I guess I’ll leave you to it, then.” 

“You’re worried.” Steve acknowledges lowly as Tony leaves the room briskly, and Clint sighs, side eyeing the other alpha. 

“Of course I am. You are too.” Clint says, his tone light but there’s something else there. It’s clear that Clint is at least somewhat aware of Steve’s feelings. Not that he’s been subtle. Clint looks frustrated then, “He’s always different in December. After Jarvis died… he hasn’t been the same. But most of the time he seems to be happy. But whenever the anniversary comes around he just shuts down.” 

And that sounds all too familiar to Steve. “Maybe he just needs space… it hasn’t been that long since their death. Maybe time is what he needs.” Steve’s trying to sound comforting, but something makes him feel like he’s trying to convince _himself_ more than anything else. 

Clint nods anyway. “He never lets me talk to him about it anyway. Nothing I can really do but wait for him to come to me.” He says, shrugging. 

Silence draws out between the two alphas as they sit in their thoughts. “Same goes for you, Cap.” Clint says, clapping a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “I know none of this has been easy on you but, well, you’re one of us now.” 

Steve gives him back a small smile. “I’m glad to be here.” He says, genuinely. 

Clint nods. “I’m glad you’re here too. We _all_ are. Especially now that we need to track down this son of a bitch who’s after Tones.”

Steve rolls his eyes, nudging Clint good-naturedly. “Something tells me you and Nat definitely wouldn’t need my help to do that.”

Clint grins back, before moving to leave the room. “I don’t know, Steve, there’s just something really satisfying about watching Captain America kick ass in all his righteous glory.” 

Steve rolls his eyes once more, but the smile stays on his face.

* * *

When Steve asks where Tony is, late that night, Jarvis is reluctant in giving up his creator’s location. When Steve had persisted, the AI had done what Steve guesses is the robotic equivalent of a heavy sigh before confessing, “I’m afraid Sir is a bit indisposed at the moment.” 

He had been worried. Of course he was worried. Indisposed? The ominous word bounces around Steve's head for a long time before he stands, too concerned to sit around and not do anything. 

Now, standing in front of the living room door and watching as a belligerent looking Tony Stark all but cackled in his face, he kind of understands what Jarvis was talking about. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s just—” Tony giggles as he stumbles over the couch and inevitably falls into it, laying back in a lewd position. Steve averts his eyes. “The beard. It gets me every time.” 

Steve flushes, only slightly, but gives Tony a playful grin anyway, “Is it really that bad?” He questions, half teasing. 

Tony props himself up on his elbows, giving what must be an attempt on a flirtatious look, but he’s laughing too much to pull it off. “I don’t think anything could _ever_ look bad on you, Steve.” He sighs, flopping back dramatically. 

Steve can’t hold back his pleased smile at that, cautiously making his way to sit on the coffee table near Tony’s head. A part of him doesn’t want to linger. Steve was the one who had suggested to Clint to give Tony space tonight. Now, however, seeing the state Tony’s in, Steve is glad he came. “You shouldn’t be drinking, Tony.” He reprimands lightly. Tony rolls his eyes.

“I knew you were going to say something like that. Look, Cap, I don’t do this often, okay, today is a special occasion,” He says, lifting an expensive looking glass bottle that Steve hadn’t caught yet. It’s close to transparent, but very clearly brown, most likely an aged whiskey. Steve remembers Howard favoring a drink similar. 

Steve lets out a breath. Of course he knows what day it is. Howard and Maria Stark were killed three years ago today. It never ceases to amaze Steve, the way he woke up just mere months after the Starks were killed and just a few weeks before Peggy’s Alzheimer’s would turn her into someone near unrecognizable. “I’m sorry, Tony.”

Tony smiles, bitter and mean, as he sits up. “Everyone always says that. ‘So sorry for your loss,’” The omega scoffs, a disgusted look on his face. “They don’t even know what to be sorry about.” 

Steve gives him a soft look, wanting to reach out and grab his hand—do something that would take that look off of the teens face. “What do you mean?” He asks instead. 

Tony’s face crumples at the question. “Jarvis,” is all he whispers, voice thick and Steve watches helplessly as the younger caves in on himself, hands covering his face. Steve watches in horror as the omega in front of him sobs. Steve’s never been good at this kind of thing. Delicately, he places a hand on Tony’s back and glances up at the ceiling, wondering if the AI is going to respond to his distraught creator. 

“Sir is not referring to me, Captain Rogers.” The AI says, almost defensively. Tony did say that his creation is just three months old, he’s a bit testy at times. “He’s referring to my namesake, Sir Edwin Jarvis. 

Tony whimpers at the name, but uncovers his face. His eyes are red and his face is damp. The sight makes Steve’s heart surge, wanting nothing more than to just drop the conversation and somehow make everything all better. Steve moves from his place on the coffee table to sit next to Tony on the huge couch, placing a comforting hang on the omega’s lower back as he continues.

“He was there too. In the car.” Tony murmurs, voice watery and shaking. “He was driving and _no one remembers_.” He’s crying again, but this time it’s different. 

_He’s angry_. Steve observes. His voice is still shaking but so are his clenched fists. 

“He was… _everything_ that’s good about me, every single part of me that people actually like is from him. And twenty people were at his funeral. _Two thousand and thirty three people_ showed up at the Howard Stark memorial. Nobody, not one single person aside from Clint, Nat, and Rhodey knew what they were saying sorry for. I lost my _dad_.”

Steve knows that Tony's not talking about Howard.

“No one understands. They think they do, but they _don’t_. I don’t want to make _Howard_ proud. I don't want to be the CEO of his war-loving company.” Tony spits the words like venom, sitting straight and tense, no longer crying, just empty. He deflates slightly, “I just want Jarvis back.” 

And Steve understands. No matter how many people told him they were so sorry for his loss when his mother died—when _Bucky_ died. It only made him more angry—only fueled his pain that much more. Steve cracks an uneasy smile in the silence. “I know it's hard to believe people when they say 'I know how you feel,' but I do. I know how you feel.” He says, honestly, trying to ignore the way Tony's head snaps up in his direction. “When Bucky died,” He begins carefully, not wanting Tony to hear the tremor in his voice, “Everyone around me felt bad, of course they did. They knew we were best friends and _everyone_ loved Bucky. But the things they would say to me…” Steve shakes his head, lip curling slightly, _“’We’ll get revenge, Cap,’ ‘His death wasn’t for nothing,’ ‘He died a hero,’”_ He clenches his jaw and lightly bangs his hand against his knee. “It was all bullshit.”

Tony lets out a hollow laugh at his foul words. 

“They all saw this tragic story of a hero who helped us win the war. That’s how everyone sees him nowadays too. Heroic Bucky Barnes…” Steve trails off, shaking his head once more. “He never wanted to be a soldier. He _hated_ fighting; the only time he’d ever get into fights was when he was stepping in to save me when I was getting my ass kicked. He never wanted to fight in a war. I don’t give a damn if his death was heroic, I just wanted my best friend to live.” 

Tony is silent for a minute and Steve realizes he probably just divulged a little too much information—got a little too emotional. He’s about to open his mouth to apologize, but Tony’s head drops to rest gently on Steve’s shoulder. Instantaneously, Steve relaxes, trying to make himself a more comfortable pillow, allowing one of his arms to tuck around Tony’s waist, holding him in so he doesn’t feel so strained. “Do you think—” Tony cuts himself off like he’s unsure about his next words. “Even if you still went into the ice and he… he lived and grew old without you, would you still want him to? Live and be happy?” 

Steve huffs, feeling tears come to his eyes at the thought, “ _Yes._ ” He breathes, “more than anything in the world. I wish he had a long happy life with whichever poor beta or omega that he could trick into marrying him. I wanted him to have kids and get a white picket fence- anything that would make him happy. That’s all I ever wanted.”

“Do you think that’s how Jarvis feels about me?” Tony’s voice is small, and for not the first time in this conversation Steve is reminded just how _young_ he is. 

There’s no question. “Of course, Tony.” He almost sounds reproachful, “I didn’t know him but there’s no doubt in my mind. You two loved each other. Of course he would want nothing more than for you to be happy.” 

Tony doesn’t respond for a long time, seeming thoughtful from his place resting Steve, chin hooked over Steve’s shoulder. It’s not the most convenient position for either of them, Tony’s legs are half tucked under him, half wrapped around Steve and Steve’s arm is slowly falling asleep from where he’s currently holding himself up against the couch. 

Steve’s never been more comfortable in his time out of the ice. 

“I know it’s annoying, and I’m sure you’ve heard it before,” Tony prefaces, breaking the silence suddenly as he removes his head from Steve’s shoulder so he can look into his eyes, their faces millimeters apart. “But you know what you said about wanting nothing more than for Bucky to be happy, even without you? I’m pretty sure he’d want the same for you, Steve.” 

Steve releases a long breath, trying to distract himself from the sting of tears at his eyes. He gives Tony a soft smile, shoving his shoulder against the younger’s lightly, “Punk.” 

Tony returns the smile, leaning back against the couch but not moving out of Steve’s reach. Although they’re no longer wrapped around each other, their thighs are still touching and Tony is tracing a scar that runs down Steve’s right hand which is resting over the couch’s edge. 

“So, you and Clint are really close.” Steve acknowledges, changing the subject not too subtly. 

Tony shrugs, smile soft on his face. “Yeah, well, we met when I was fifteen. After my parents died he really took me under his wing.” Tony gives Steve a suggestive look but the alpha just snorts at his pun, “I don’t know. He’s the first real packmate I’ve ever had. Other than Jarvis, of course.”

Steve’s eyebrows furrow at that, “Of course.” He agrees, “And your parents too, right?” He asks, and Tony shakes his head, returning Steve’s confused face with a puzzled look of his own, like it’s so obvious why his own parents wouldn’t bond with him. 

“Pack bonds are unbecoming in business. It gives people more incentive for kidnappings, since the bond would hurt so much after enough distance and torture. Howard would never have a pack bond with his omega son. It’s just too risky. Plus, you know, Howard was never the affectionate type.” Tony says the words slowly, like Steve is missing something obvious. The omega hates talking about his dad, that much Steve can tell. The alpha doesn’t _want_ to push, and he definitely doesn’t want to make Tony upset. But it just doesn’t make sense to Steve. It’s almost unheard of, parents not having pack bonds with their children? 

Steve doesn’t get it. Steve wants to talk about Howard because, apparently, he remembers someone completely different than Tony knew. Steve can sense that Tony wants to drop the subject, but he’s too confused by the whole situation to just move on. “But. Your mother? Why wouldn’t she insist on a bond between you three?” 

Tony sighs, running a shaking hand through his hair and scooting away from Steve so that their legs are no longer brushing against each other’s. Steve feels the distance a little too poignantly. “That’s just not how they were, I guess.” Tony says lowly. Steve can tell, Tony _really_ doesn’t want to talk about it. 

“What happened with Howard, Tony?” Steve asks softly, so confused because really, how could Howard have changed so much? 

Tony huffs out a laugh. “War? Losing you? My birth? Who knows, really. We weren’t close.” He says, “He was a busy man, that’s all, Cap, just drop it.”

And Steve hates the way Tony calls him Cap; how he uses it as a way to put distance between them. It doesn’t sound right, not for Tony. It’s too formal, too impersonal and strained.  
He wants to be Steve and only Steve when it comes to Tony. 

_Or Alpha._ The small, instinct-driven part of his mind reminds him. 

“Is Clint still your only pack bond?” Steve asks, ignoring his own thoughts and going back to his original question. It’s a lot more common these days, for people to have very small packs. Back in the 40s, he and Bucky were the only pack of 2 in their whole neighborhood. 

Tony shrugs, “It’s complicated, I guess. Nat’s close, definitely, but I don’t think she bonds easily. Something to do with the whole Russian assassin thing. I’ve known her a few years but she hasn’t expressed any real interest in a bond, not even to Clint.”

Natasha. Steve still feels guilty about his earlier reaction to her. Ever since the serum he’s been able to recognize threats from a mile away. All alphas had a potential to be a threat, but some were special cases. Natasha smells _dangerous_. She’s been nothing but kind and professional towards Steve, and he can see the obvious affection she has for Clint and Tony. She still sets him on edge. He can tell he gives Natasha similar feelings. They’re nothing but polite to each other, Steve would probably even call them friends, but there is a definite tension between the two. 

_Danger recognizing danger._

“Rhodey and I definitely have a bond, but he’s gone a lot because he’s in the air force.” 

“Rhodey?” Steve questions, tuning back into the conversation, happy to listen to Tony’s rambling now that he’s not crying or upset. 

Tony smiles, open and genuine, “James Rhodes. We met in freshman year when he pulled some posturing alpha off of me at a party.” 

Steve is surprised at the low growl that leaves his throat inadvertently. He looks, wide-eyed to Tony’s confused look, “You—weren’t you 14 when you were a freshman?”

Tony nods, still looking confused. 

“Tony—that. That alpha was probably 18 or even older, he should have never been talking to you, let alone—you know.” Steve sputters angrily. 

Tony nods in agreement, looking somewhat amused, not at all helping Steve’s concern. “God, you and Rhodey can never meet. You two are _way_ too alike. If it were up to you two, I’d probably never leave the tower.” 

Steve leers at Tony playfully, “Doesn’t sound all that bad to me,” grinning in success as a flush spreads up Tony’s neck. 

“Careful there, soldier, I might just take you up on it.” Tony throws back and Steve chuckles, unwillingly leaning forward as if he’s being sucked into the omega’s gravitational pull. He’s surprised, because he thought Erkinstein said he wasn’t ever going to be able to get drunk. Right now, looking at Tony’s sleepy, smiling face, he definitely feels tipsy. 

“ _God,_ will you two stop looking at each other like that?” Clint grumbles, dragging his feet as he walks towards the kitchen, coffee mug already in hand. “You’ve known each other for like two days, chill out.” 

Tony jerks his head away from Steve, red now _definitely_ covering his face as he glares at Clint. “Screw you, birdbrain, why are you up anyway? Drinking coffee at 2am is my thing, not yours.” He complains, throwing a pillow at an unsuspecting Clint’s face.

Clint dodges the pillow, but curses as the hot coffee spills over onto his hands. “It’s literally almost 7, what are you talking about?” 

Steve’s eyes glance over to the window and damn, he can see the sun beginning to peak out from under the skyscrapers surrounding their tower. He and Tony talked through the entire night. 

Tony flushes slightly as Clint rolls his eyes. “C’mere, kid, let me make you breakfast. You look like you haven’t eaten in weeks. 

Steve sits back against the couch as Tony jumps up to follow Clint into the kitchen. 

It had been a long time since he was able to talk to someone for hours on end without even noticing the time pass by. 

Tony is nineteen. Clint would probably kill him. 

Steve sighs, stamps down his feelings, and gets up to meet the others in the kitchen.

* * *

Several hours after having a semi-awkward breakfast with Steve and Clint, Tony settles down in the work shop, intent on finding any information he possibly could on _‘terrifying evil smoke ladies who make you see your greatest fear.’_

Surprisingly, not much comes up in his research. 

In fact, the only thing that really comes up is a bunch of anti-cigarette advertisements which, while very important, are not helping Tony’s dilemma. 

Sighing Tony waves that screen away, instead choosing to focus on what the person had said. 

Whoever this person was, they wanted Tony to make a choice, one just like his father had in the past. Tony’s mind immediately goes to Stark Industries. This would not be the first time someone had tries to influence his decisions as CEO. And if this person wanted him to make a choice that his father had made, then it’s clear that Tony’s doing something with the company that Howard wasn’t doing. 

Weapons, then. 

The first thing Tony had done when he turned eighteen was stall any and all weapons production for Stark Industries. He had seen the things those weapons could do and more importantly, Tony knew the people who were being handed these guns. 

He had never necessarily been comfortable around Howards friends, but his work “friends” were always the worst. All of them military types who would drink way too much and stare at Tony for far too long, even when he was just thirteen. 

Weapons were never Tony’s passion anyway. Sure, it’s easy to build something that can explode into a million pieces, Tony’s been creating things like _that_ since he was four. Tony preferred creating _life_. Robots, electronics, things that would aid people’s everyday life, not things that would start wars. 

Many called it cowardly, some called it disappointing, but most everybody called it one of the many downfalls of having an omega in charge.

People love to talk about how terribly stocks dropped that day that he announced the shutdown of the weapons manufacturing branch of SI, but they rarely ever mentioned how now two years later, stocks have increased tenfold. 

So it _must_ be about weapons. 

He starts simply, checking into SI archives from the past few decades to look for any inconsistencies or discrepancies. 

He stumbles across a section of data from the early 2000s that’s stamped as in need of further review. Obviously, the checkup would have gone through back when this was filed but Tony can’t find any confirmation that the contracts enclosed were ever reviewed. The contracts don’t seem to be connected, the only signifying factors being that they are all printed in both English and Russian. Stark Industries hasn’t always been a US only company. There were times were SI was dealing to countries all throughout the world. It strikes Tony as odd because while they had definitely sold to Russia in the _past_ , they certainly hadn’t been legally selling weapons to the Soviet Union in 2015. 

There’s also something about the phrasing in the contracts. Odd capitalizations and some words written in different languages, Tony’s suspicions slowly rise. 

When Tony finally connects the dots he tells Jarvis to blackout the workshop, a protocol he had installed just hours before.

No one may enter the workshop. No messages are to come through. Nothing. 

Tony sits back in his chair, glaring at the screens in front of him as though it’s technology’s fault for showing him this information. 

Howard’s life motto was _kill or be killed_. He thrived in a dog-eat-dog world. 

It would make so much sense.

But.

He’s hated Howard for _years_. He’s hated the feeling of class rings splitting his cheek open, the dull ache he would feel along his jaw after Howard had spent half the day drinking, the _indifference_ both of his parents felt towards him for his entire life. 

He’s hated Howard for making him afraid to stand up for himself, making him afraid that any alpha he ever trusts will one day betray him, making him afraid to bond with _anyone._

But would Howard have stooped _this_ low?

Tony’s jaw is clenched and his eyes are red rimmed as he reads page after page of unaccounted for weapons that the US military never received. Of contracts and papers signed by his own father for the illegal shipment of Stark weapons to go to random bases throughout Russia. He has JARVIS pull up satellite maps and corresponding intelligence for those particular areas. The bases either didn’t exist at all or hadn’t been out of commission for decades. 

It wasn’t even hard to find. He hadn’t had to hack into any mainframes or blackmail higher ups for information like he had thought he would have to. All of the evidence was right there, in Stark Industries’ database this entire time. Tony had only had to type in his password and click on a couple of files from the archive. 

The contracts are short, criminally vague. Nothing in the text suggests that there was even a transaction for the weapons. As if they were a _gift_. Part of Tony wonders if he’s seeing things as he tears the contracts apart, letter by letter. He pulls out each oddly mannered word, inspects the on-and-off capitalization and fumbles between the strange shifts between languages. 

The encrypted message comes out soon enough. 

He triple checks it himself.

He has JARVIS run scans over and over but the message never changes. 

H A I L H Y D R A

_You must choose sides very wisely, as your father did, boy._

Howard was Hydra. Tony’s father provided weapons to one of the most notorious terrorist groups in the world’s history. Captain America’s arch nemesis. And now they want Tony to do the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely not edited and mostly written at 2am when all of my inspirations strike. I love to hear any and all suggestions you may have and still am looking forward to hearing what you'd like to see happen in this story and/or how you're all feeling about the story so far. 
> 
> smh howard would he rlly stoop that low?? 
> 
> also why do i keep making myself miss bucky so much its rlly not good for my story telling heart
> 
> Next chapter: we meet some new friends, tell some secrets, hide from supersoldiers :) 
> 
> also clint is the best character in this story fight me
> 
> Pls comment & kudos!! I love hearing from y'all <3


	3. Do it yourself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony tells some secrets & decides to keep others. He also makes a friend or two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!! College is kicking my ass like always but hey I really like this chapter so there's that :) thank you for all of your kind comments, they truly make my day so much better <3

Tony thinks for a long time. 

He has no idea how to process the information. 

He barely knows what HYDRA is. Sure, they taught a little about the organization in high school and Howard had loved going on about _“those motherfucking nazis”_ when he was plastered drunk, but it’s not as though they still existed. 

At least, that’s what the vast majority of the world thought. 

They had gone extinct. Captain America had single-handedly destroyed them and their destruction was the key to ending World War II. 

But the information is right in front of him. There’s no way he’s making this up. There’s too many connections, the words are literally on the page. 

He has Jarvis check and double check once more. 

He can’t tell anyone. Who can be trusted at this point? 

Do the board members at SI have any idea? Does Shield know? Does _Steve_ know? 

He agonizes over it in the silence of his workshop. JARVIS suggests telling Clint. But telling Clint is the same as telling Natasha and both of them— _if they can be trusted_ , a paranoid voice in his head reminds—will tell Shield. They’ve always put too much trust into the organization. Yes, Tony trusts Coulson and—to a degree—Fury. But if Howard Stark, one of the key founders of Shield was HYDRA, then who’s to say the entire organization isn’t following in his footsteps?

Then there’s Steve. There’s no way Steve is HYDRA. The man spent the better part of World War II personally tracking down HYDRA, he couldn’t be their new attack dog. 

Logically, Tony thinks to himself, all of the avengers should be crossed off the list of ‘potential HYDRA agents.’ 

_Who knows where Bruce has been the past few years, though?_

_Natasha worked in Russia for years, not too far away from these shipment points._

_Clint’s been a spy his entire life. Maybe befriending you was a part of the mission._

Guilty, Tony bangs his head against the metal table, shaking away the unfair thoughts. 

But _Steve._ Steve was the one who fought against them. He was literally created to eliminate the threats HYDRA posed. And after last night, Tony could see how fresh all of his emotions were from back in the war. His best friend died fighting against HYDRA. There’s no way Steve would’ve ever been able to forgive that. 

Tony pushes away from his desk, dropping his head and groaning. He has to tell someone, and it seems like his mind is already made up on who he wants to tell. He just doesn’t know how. 

_‘Hey cap, nice chat last night, right? By the way, did you know that whole evil nazi group you spent the entire war destroying? Well, your good pal Howard was actually one of them all along, crazy, right?’_

He blinks furiously, swiping a long sleeved arm over his face to brush off the frustrated tears. Damn hormones. He can’t show emotion like this in front of Steve. He has to be calm and collected, or Steve will go full protective alpha mode. 

“Sir, if I may, you do have a meeting scheduled in 20 minutes on the 57th floor with your board of trustees.” JARVIS intones softly, making Tony jolt out of his thoughts. 

Tony sighs, glancing down at his grease stained shirt. “Damn,” He mutters, rushing out of the workshop shakily to get a shower.

* * *

Board meetings _suck._

Sitting in a stuffy room surrounded by 15 alphas who all think he’s an idiot isn’t exactly Tony’s idea of a great afternoon. At least this time it isn’t about product designs or deadlines. Tony’s required to be there for each meeting since he owns everything, but he doesn’t have to speak much this time. It’s probably everyone’s preference. These older alpha’s tend to get so offended at his presence; when he speaks it’s ten times worse. He can barely go two sentences without getting cut off by one of their “much better” ideas. 

He nods when it’s polite and tries his best not to fall asleep as people bring out their PowerPoints about budget cuts or marketing plans or whatever this particular meeting is about. 

It’s all Tony can do to not outwardly cheer as the final presenter, one of the more intimidating alphas, finishes her spiel. 

Tony stands quickly, thanking everyone for their time and all but runs out of the room. 

Continuing his fast pace down the hall, Tony starts typing out a long message to Rhodey. Ever since Rhodey started training in the air force, they haven’t been able to talk much, but they both make a habit of sending texts when they can. Last Tony heard, Rhodey was complaining about some other alpha at the base who’s totally showing him up in all of their basic training assignments. Rhodes says that he’s met his ultimate arch nemesis but Tony sees it for what it truly is; young love. He’s in the middle of waxing poetic about what the two alpha’s children will look like when he hears a low voice call after him. “Tony?” 

The omega glances back, just barely meeting Steve’s gaze. He stops in his tracks, truly taken aback for a moment because _why the hell would Steve be roaming the halls of SI?_

He shrugs it off, corners of his mouth tilting up as he turns more fully, taking a half step in Steve’s direction before he takes in just how _angry_ Steve looks right now. That stops Tony in his tracks. He retraces his steps in his head, trying to figure out exactly what he did to mess things up this time. Then he remembers. 

_"Tony, you don’t go anywhere without Shield agents or one of us. Not until we find out who’s targeting you, understood?"_

Damn. 

Tony smiles awkwardly, waving a hand at Steve’s tense frame, turning back in the other direction once more as Steve calls out after him again. He wastes no time before rushing into an adjacent lab, hoping to God it was one where only specified personnel were allowed. 

Tony backs away from the door slowly, trying his best to calm himself down. He flinches as a pounding fist hits the door and doesn’t release his breath until the shadow under the door disappears. Sliding down the wall opposing the doorway, Tony sits, ready to stay in this lab for days if that’s what it means to stay away from Steve’s righteous anger.

“Umm, hey dude? You alright?” 

Tony startles at the young voice that casually called out. His head swivels quickly to meet the eyes of one of SI’s engineers. He looks younger than most of the workers at the company, probably still a little older than Tony, but still young.

He’s a beta, Tony notices subconsciously, a fact that instantly makes Tony relax. It’s not a fair assessment at all, of course. Not all alphas are disrespectful knotheads and not all omegas are innocent victims the same way that not all betas are neutral and mild-mannered. However, for the most part, betas are kind and respectful to Tony. It’s easier for them, apparently, because betas don’t have the same sense of smell that alphas and omegas do. Tony remembers the days of his childhood where he would _burn_ in jealousy over all of the betas in his class. 

“So then she was all like, ‘the only thing you take seriously is your job,’ and I was like, ‘um yeah, cause it’s important?’ and then she dumped me.” The boy, who’s suddenly sat next to him, on the floor (still unclear on when he got there) sighs, looking put out. 

Tony side-eyes him, “What are you talking about?”

The boy raises his eyebrows, grinning widely, “Oh, good, you’re back! You were panicking for a second there. Whenever I’m freaking out it always helps if someone just talks to me for a while, so I thought I’d try that.” 

“I’m not freaking out.” Tony says quickly, pushing his hands into his pockets subconsciously. 

“Right.” The boy draws the word out, clearly not believing Tony. “Then why did you run in here like you were being chased by a murderer?”

Tony scowls. “Maybe I was just really excited to come visit this particular lab.”

“Ha! As if. No one is _ever_ excited to visit the advanced prosthetic lab. Everyone thinks it’s boring.” 

Tony’s face scrunches up. “That doesn’t sound boring at all.”

“Tell that to literally every person I’ve ever met. Trust me, the second I say I work in prosthetic manufacturing, people’s eyes go all blank like, dude, I can _tell_ when you’re not listening to me. And no one even knows what it is, they just think it’s boring engineer stuff—which is kind of _is_ , I guess-- minus the whole boring part.” The boy looks genuinely annoyed. Tony huffs out a laugh. 

“If no one knows what it is then how did you get into it?” Tony asks, definitely curious but mostly wanting to keep the attention off of his still shaking hands. 

The beta shrugs “My first job was with this guy, Dr. Curt Connors? You might’ve heard of him. Anyway, he was really into this kind of stuff. Turns out, the guy was kinda psycho and tried to destroy Queens.” He rambles, reminding Tony an awful lot of himself. “But I really got into the whole prosthetic thing so… here I am.” 

“Here you are.” Tony agrees. “Listen, thanks. For helping me calm down.” He clarifies as the guy gives him a confused look. “I was kind of hiding from someone.” 

The other laughs at that, “It’s cool dude, confrontation isn’t my strong suit either. Just ask my ex.” 

Tony gives him a pitying look, “You sure do talk about her a lot.” 

The beta huffs, “Yeah well, she’s all I think about, so that makes sense. Alphas, man, you know?” 

Tony quirks an eyebrow. Beta-Alpha relationships aren’t unheard of, but they’re definitely less common, only having been legal for the past decade or so. “Tell me about it.” He agrees lowly, picking at a loose thread of his jeans. 

“It’s just— we dated all through high school, right? And it was _crazy_ , like, I’m this dorky beta and she’s this drop dead gorgeous alpha with red hair and green eyes and we were _perfect_ but.” He sighs, “She made me chose. Between the job and her and I just couldn’t…” 

Tony winces sympathetically, placing a comforting hand on the other’s shoulder. “Well, if you’re really passionate about your job, then you probably made the right choice.” 

“That’s what I thought too!” The guy agrees enthusiastically before slumping, “But now, I’m not so sure. It really sucks without her.” 

Not really knowing how to respond Tony chuckles mirthlessly, “Anything for prosthetics, right?”

The boy looks at him with furrowed eyebrows, faced scrunched in confusion before he smooths it out unconvincingly. He laughs along with Tony, “Right.” 

There’s a silence. “Thanks for letting me get all that out, man, I haven’t really made any new friends since the breakup. It’s nice having someone else to talk to about it. I feel like all of our old friends have so many opinions about it.” 

Tony nods, “I definitely get that. There’s a lot of days where I wish people would just forget my last name, my secondary gender, and just see _me_.” 

The beta winces slightly, “I feel like now is the right time for me to say I do know who you are… and I also know your secondary gender.” The words come out in a rush, “But I totally don’t care about either of those things and would really like for us to be friends.” 

Tony chuckles at the blatant honesty. “I think I would like that. Tony Stark, though I guess you knew that,” Tony introduces. 

“Nice to meet you, Tony. I’m Peter Parker,” The beta responds with a laugh, shaking Tony’s hand enthusiastically.

* * *

Tony dwindles in Peter’s lab for a few hours before heading back up to the penthouse. It’s clear the guy really has a knack for what he’s doing, and Tony’s glad to have people working in his company who actually care about what they’re working on. They don’t talk much more about personal stuff, but Peter puts his number into Tony’s phone before the omega leaves. 

Tony raises an eyebrow and quirks a smile, “So forward of you, Mr. Parker.” 

Peter flushes bright red and Tony cackles as he evades a light swat. “Shut up, dork. I’m still planning on getting MJ back.” 

Tony nods. The ex, who finally has a name now, is apparently not talking to Peter right now, but the beta already has a master plan in place. “Good luck with that one, Pete.” He says teasingly before leaving the lab, checking out the hallway systematically before all but running to an elevator.

“Any chance you want to give me the current position of Captain America, Jay?” Tony asks as he begins his ascent. 

JARVIS’ responds immediately, “The Captain is currently in the kitchen, Sir.” 

“Perfect. Let’s go to the top, baby boy.” Tony says, leaning back against the cold wall of the elevator, suddenly feeling exhausted. 

Tony huffs as the elevator stops and he drags himself into the open area of his floor. “From now until I tell you, J-man, I need you to let me know where Cap is at all times. Operation ‘Avoid Steve at All Costs’ is ago.”

“Consider the operation a failure, Tony.” A new voice interjects, nearly scaring Tony to death.

Tony grimaces as he turns to face Steve. “What the _hell_ , Jay?” 

“As it happens, sir, Captain Rogers asked me to alert him to your location as soon as you made your way home. You two seem very attuned to one another.” 

Tony scowls deeply, trying his best to ignore his AI’s suggestive tone. 

“Do you want to tell me why the hell you thought it would be okay to go against direct orders this morning?” Steve posits, ears red and looking much more pissed than Tony had expected. 

Tony furrows his eyebrows, “Look, Steve, I totally forgot about our whole little pow-wow, okay? I’ve had a rough couple of days and JARVIS reminded me I had a meeting this morning. Plus, I didn’t even leave the tower, Cap, just a few floors down.” He tries his best to make his tone light-hearted. He can feel Steve’s worry from across the room.

“Tony, we have _no idea_ who’s coming after you. For all we know, it could be one of your employees. It could be one of the board members! I swear, when I found out you left the penthouse without one of us with you I-“ Steve cuts himself off. Tony starts shaking his head, because he _does_ know who’s after him, but Steve keeps going. “You can’t just run off on your own anymore. It’s not safe right now and you’re vulnerable.”

“I am _not_ vulnerable.” Tony argues, face screwing up in annoyance. 

Steve scoffs. “Just because Natasha showed you a few moves does not mean you could fight off whoever it is who’s trying to get to you.” 

“Why are you acting like this? I literally just went to a board meeting. You should be happy! If I don’t go to those, then I could get pushed out as CEO and you _know_ how much this means to me.” Tony can feel his voice raising but he can’t believe Steve is freaking out over such a small thing.

“You went against a _direct_ order, Tony-“

“You’re not my _alpha_ , Steve!” Tony shouts, shoving his hands against Steve’s huge frame and Steve allows it, taking several steps back. Both of their chests are heaving and for a second, Tony feels like he may have gone too far. He opens his mouth, ready to apologize immediately. 

“I am all too aware of that, Tony, believe me.” Steve says instead, voice low.

That throws Tony off. “What?” 

“I said I am all too aware that I’m not your alpha. And you’re not my omega.” Steve says and suddenly Tony feels a _sting_ to those words. The omega takes a step back but Steve follows, undeterred. “If you were mine, we wouldn’t be having this fight right now.” 

Tony’s eyes narrow, “I’m not some kept omega, Cap, even if you were my alpha, I wouldn’t just roll over for yo-“

“ _If you were mine-_ “ Steve interrupts. “we would never be having this fight because you would not be in danger.” He continues, “If you were mine, there wouldn’t be a need for you to feel unsafe or for me to go out of my _mind_ when I realize you left the penthouse because no one would _ever_ be threatening you.” 

He keeps taking steps towards Tony. Tony stops moving away. They’re just inches apart but Tony can’t find himself to care. Steve’s voice is just a low growl at this point, but it sounds like heaven to Tony. The tension between them is palpable and even though Tony can see it in Steve’s eyes he can’t help but wonder if he’s making this up in his head.

“No one would dare to threaten you, if you were mine, because I would _slaughter_ them. Everyone would know the consequences of messing with you because, if you were mine, I would never let anyone forget it.” Their noses are brushing, Steve’s voice is so angry but his face is so unbelievably fond and _sad_ at the same time. Tony wants to reach out, press their foreheads together or do something _insane_ like kiss him. 

Steve pulls back before any of that can happen. “So trust me, Tony, I am _well aware_ that you aren’t mine.” Tony wants to whimper, both at the loss of Steve’s closeness and his words.

_'But what if I want to be?'_

Steve turns back, making sure to make eye contact with Tony, “But you better be damn sure that I _will_ destroy anyone who messes with you. Mine or not, Tony.”

Steve stalks away at that and Tony’s stunned into silence. 

“Jay… did that really just happen?” He asks softly, fingers coming up to touch his nose where Steve was so close…

“I have the video evidence if you need proof, Sir.” JARVIS snarks back and Tony resists the urge to flip off the ceiling. 

“I should probably apologize.” Tony says and JARVIS’ silence speaks volumes. “Sleep first. Let him cool off, then tonight, Steve and I have a lot to talk about.”

* * *

“I need to talk to you.” Tony says lowly to Steve later that night. He’s standing awkwardly in the doorframe of the kitchen. Steve’s hunched over the island, looking all kinds of miserable. 

Steve looks up quickly, catching the serious tone. His eyes narrow, “What’s wrong?” 

Tony takes a deep breath, ignoring the protectiveness that flares in Steve’s scent for a moment, “First, I want to apologize about… everything today.” Steve looks seconds away from interrupting but Tony lifts a hand. “I genuinely did forget about our conversation about me not leaving. It was a genuine mistake and it probably will happen again because I’m me. I’m mostly apologizing about what I said. It wasn’t…” Tony can’t find the words. 

“It’s not like you said anything but the truth, Tony.” Steve says in that soft, sad voice that Tony absolutely adores and hates at the same time. 

“Yeah well, I wish I hadn’t said it.” _And I wish it wasn’t true._

Steve nods his acceptance. “I’m sorry, too, Tony. Everything I said—” 

“Was really appreciated. _Please_ don’t take any of it back.” Tony surprises himself by saying. His eyes his the floor, not wanting to see Steve’s reaction now that they aren’t in a heated shouting match. 

Steve’s arm wraps around Tony’s back and tugs him into a hug. “I don’t want to take any of it back.” Steve admits lowly and the omega relaxes into the hug. They stay there for a moment. Comfortable, happy, and content. 

“I got the feeling you had something else to talk to me about.” Steve says after a few more seconds, moving away. 

Tony nods. “It’s about the person that attacked me. I’ve been doing some research.” He pauses, internally debating if he really was making the right choice here. “I wasn’t even sure if I was going to tell anyone about this before I got more information. I don’t know who’s trustworthy, but I think I can trust you.” 

Steve nods, voice steady and calm, “Of course you can trust me, Tony.” 

“Howard was HYDRA.” Tony says quickly, words just above a whisper. He had already instructed JARVIS to warn them of anyone else’s arrival, but with this sensitive of information, he wanted to be careful.

Steve’s reaction isn’t exactly what Tony expected. At first, yes, he looks extremely shocked. But once he fully processes the information, Steve doesn’t look concerned. If anything, he looks pitying. “Tony…” He sighs softly, “You’ve been through a lot these past few days.”

Tony rears back. “What?” 

Steve just shakes his head. “HYRDA is long gone. I got rid of the last of them when I sunk the plane. And even _if_ they had somehow survived, Howard would _never_.” He sounds so confident, so sure of himself. “I think you’re just overwhelmed. Something really traumatic and scary happened to you and now your brain is trying to piece it all together.” 

It’s all Tony can do to not gape at Steve. Out of everyone, he thought Steve would understand the potential threat of HYDRA. “Steve how are you sure? You were gone for a long time, they could’ve rebuilt. And we’ve already established the fact that Howard was much different when you knew him.” Tony argues, voice rising steadily. He hardly wanted to bring this up in the first place, but he had never expected to be doubted by _Steve._

Steve shakes his head once more, this time a stubborn look on his face. “Look, Tony, I know you and Howard didn’t get along, but to accuse him of _this_.” The alpha actually looks disappointed as he stares at Tony. “You’re young and you never experienced HYDRA firsthand. You don’t understand what you’re saying about your own father. HYDRA agents were the single most evil people I’ve ever encountered.” 

Tony stands, anger suddenly coursing through his entire body. Steve has _no idea_ just how evil Howard Stark turned out to be. “I’m not just _throwing_ it out there, Steve! I have evidence, it all makes sense. HYDRA wants me to make weapons for them the same way Howard did. You barely even knew Howard, how would you know what he’s capable of?” 

Steve flinches, face contorting into something a little more firm. “Howard fought against HYDRA in the war. He helped create _me_. How could he have possibly switched sides like that? You’re distressed, Tony, you don’t know what you’re saying.” 

“I _do_ know what I’m saying, Steve, stop treating me like I’m some traumatized omega. I came to you because I trusted you and I thought you would take me seriously. Clearly I was wrong.” Tony snaps, stomping towards the elevator.

“I am taking you seriously, Tony. You just need to trust me when I say that there’s no way HYDRA still exists today. I know you don’t want to hear it, but no matter how much Howard changed after the war, there is no way he would do that.” Steve soothes as he stands up, blocking Tony’s path.

Tony looks up, annoyed at how far he has to tilt his head to meet Steve’s eyes. Steve looks concerned, confused and _hurt_. As if Tony’s words had wounded him. Tony clenches his jaw. He’s hurting too, after all.

He had told Steve this in confidence, ready to come up with a game plan and share the burden of the information. The last thing he had expected was for Steve to not believe him. The fight leaves Tony and he focuses on the floor. 

“You really don’t believe me?” He asks, voice incredulous but softer than he wanted. 

He hears Steve sigh, and the noise annoys him. Then the alpha is crowding into his space, wrapping arms around his much smaller waist and digging his nose into the juncture of Tony’s neck. “Just trust me, alright, Tony? We’ll figure this out. No one is going to hurt you, I promise.” 

It’s funny, Tony thinks, that Steve expects Tony to trust him when the alpha is so blatantly _not trusting Tony._

Tony nods anyway, relaxing into the hug and pressing his face into Steve’s chest. 

He’ll find a way to protect himself _and_ take down HYDRA once and for all. 

After all, Tony reminds himself, _if you want a job done right, do it yourself._

* * *

Two days later, Baltimore is filled with smoke. 

Shield is on the case within minutes and after hearing eye witness accounts of hazy red headaches and voices in their mind, the Avengers are put on a Quinjet and shipped off. Bruce goes reluctantly. No one had seen much of the scientist the past few days and Tony worries. The curly haired man sends him a smile nonetheless, ruffles his hair, and climbs aboard alongside Nat. 

Clint mimics the head ruffle, a lot less gently, before kissing him on the head obnoxiously and skipping into the cockpit. Steve goes last, Shield holstered on his back and cowl abandoned. Steve’s hand runs down Tony’s arm before gripping him at the waist and pulling him in for a hug. 

“We’re gonna get ‘em this time.” The alpha promises lowly and Tony closes his eyes with a nod. Steve pulls away and walks back towards the plane, not losing eye contact until he absolutely has to and the jet’s doors slam shut. Tony watches on, wistful feeling in his gut as the plane zooms away at an unnatural speed. 

He pads down from the roof, shivering from the violent cold of New York’s winter. The tower is so incredibly quiet without anyone in it, he had almost forgotten. Even though Bruce and Nat were almost always radio silent, the absence of Clint’s hysterical laughter at dumb TV shows and Steve’s soft hums while he draws are damning evidence that Tony misses them. 

He makes his way to the workshop, wanting to avoid the silence as well as the news. He hates watching them fight, even if they all look a thousand times better now that he’s redone their suits. He gets too much anxiety watching his friends take hit after hit when he can’t do anything to help. 

Not that it’s going to be that way for long. 

He has plans. Plans that are all spread out across his workshop desk. Plans of miniature arc reactors that can create concentrated, controlled explosions. Stabilizers that can create feasible human flight. Ever since he perfected the arc reactor with Bruce’s inadvertent help, he had known there was a greater meaning for them, even beyond the implementation of clean energy. This had to be it. 

He gets to work on the rough design, taking measurements of his arm and creating pieces that fit around his joints. His brain is working a million miles a minute, wondering if there’s a way to put the gauntlet on quickly or if it will always be a grueling task. If he should make two gauntlets? But then he needs to protect his front, his back, his… entire body really. And of course he’ll need an indestructible mask because no one— _absolutely no one_ —can know about this. 

He’s jolted out of his work by a phone call from Steve. Tony furrows his eyebrows, because it’s only been an hour or so since the Avengers left. 

“Quick fight?” Tony asks teasingly, putting the phone on speaker as he begins welding two pieces of titanium together. 

“Tony,” Steve’s voice is shaky, low, and incredibly serious. “There’s nothing here.” 

Tony laughs lightly, tilting his head, “I mean, I didn’t really believe you when you said you’d _destroy_ whoever attacked me but, I’m impressed cap-“

“No, Tony.” Steve interrupts, and Tony looks away from his work at the snapped tone. “There is _nothing_ here. There never was anything here.”

Then it sinks in. 

“Oh.” Tony says, feeling a shiver go up his spine. 

“We’re 40 minutes out.” Steve grits. “Probably sooner. Shield is on their way, Tony. It’s going to be okay.” 

Tony’s eyes scan the room, suddenly feeling extremely unsafe. “What do I do?” He asks, hoping he kept the tremor out of his voice. 

“Lockdown the lab and don’t let anyone in until Shield gets there.” Steve says, much more calm than Tony feels. 

“They got into the lab last time.” Tony curses lowly under his breath, wishing his hands would stop shaking. 

Steve’s shaking breath comes through the line and Tony tries not to whimper out loud. The pure terror he’s feeling right now is downright embarrassing but this isn't just some random bad guy. It’s _Howard_. “Tony, listen to me. Everything is going to be just fine. Shield is probably already in the building. You’re going to completely safe. Trust me.”

Tony nods, reveling even in the slight comfort Steve’s voices gives him. “I trust you.”

* * *

The second that Steve gets off the phone with Tony, Natasha receives a call from Shield demanding their immediate presence back at Shield’s headquarters. Apparently a group of agents caught someone connected to Tony’s attacker earlier this morning. 

Steve can’t stop the growl that leaves his mouth. “If Fury thinks for one second that we aren’t going straight back to Tony-“ 

“We’re going back to Shield and that’s final.” Natasha says, lifting her chin in Steve’s direction in a clear challenge. Steve doesn’t back off, taking a step towards her before Clint intervenes. 

Clint rolls his eyes, “Should I be offended that I’m never a part of you two’s pissing contests? I’m just going to assume you’re both too intimidated by me to even try to challenge me.” He glares at Natasha after a small huff of laughter is heard from her direction. 

Bruce then stands from where he was quietly taking in the brewing fight, “Fury says the situation at the tower is under control. What if whoever they caught is the attacker? Maybe they got to them before they could get to Tony. We’re listening to Fury and that’s final.” Bruce states, leaving the two alphas with a serious look before returning to his book in front of him.

Steve clenches his jaw, turning away from the redhead in front of him and slumping in his seat. Tony better actually be safe or Fury was going to be a dead man. 

It doesn’t take them long to get back to base after that. The three alphas, along with Bruce, enter what looks to be one of Shield’s high security floors, mostly meant for interrogation. 

“We should have at least called Tony.” Steve mutters, receiving an elbow to the stomach from Clint as Fury walks in. 

“As I already told you all, Stark is doing just fine, probably only mildly upset at having Coulson as a babysitter. We need your attention on the situation at hand.” Fury motions the team forward, and they enter a much smaller room with a one-sided window. “This is the lead we found in relation to Tony’s attacker.” 

The lead doesn’t look like much. In fact, he looks to be Tony’s age, maybe even younger. He’s got bright, white hair and an off-put, almost childish expression on his face. Not even looking scared to be in a high security government building. 

“That’s a kid, Nick.” Natasha observes helpfully. 

“That’s a highly trained mutant that we found kicking up dust on the outskirts of Baltimore just as you all sped off. He took down 5 agents before we got him sedated.” Fury corrects.

Steve steps forward, “Mutant. As in, magic powers that could mess with someone’s brain?” 

“Check out his leg, Captain.” Fury implores, and at first Steve doesn’t notice a thing out of the ordinary. It isn’t until he really focuses that he can see the leg bouncing up and down at what looks to be the speed of light. Even Steve’s enhanced sight can barely see the leg moving fractionally. 

“Super speed.” He notes, “Maybe that explains how he got away so fast the day of the attack.” 

Fury nods his head, just a slight movement. “Romanov, I want you in there and interrogating him.” Nat nods and is entering the room without hesitation. “Banner, we need you to take a look at the blood samples we took from him, see what kind of mutations this kid has. Cap and Hawkeye, stay here and see if you can catch anything Widow doesn’t. I’ll take you to the labs, Dr. Banner.” 

Clint sighs, dropping into the chair in front of him and giving Steve a look, “As if we’ll notice something Nat doesn’t.”

Steve huffs in acknowledgement but doesn’t move his eyes from the boy through the window, who stood defensively the second she walked through the door. 

“I’m not going to hurt you.” Natasha says clearly, hands raised as she walks in.

“I’ve heard that one before.” The boy says, voice deeper and more accented than Steve had expected. He can’t decipher exactly what origin the accent comes from. 

Natasha continues inching forward, “Not from me, you haven’t.” 

The boy scoffs. “I wouldn’t be so sure.” 

Natasha quirks an eyebrow, “We’ve met before?” 

“Just once” The boy responds, not elaborating. 

Natasha stops moving forward, taking the boys features in slowly this time. “You’re from Eastern Europe, probably Ukraine or Romania. I haven’t been there in many years.” 

“Neither have I.” The boy says shortly. He’s scared, it’s clear through the way he’s speaking and how he holds himself. It’s a huge contrast to how he was acting before Natasha walked in the room. 

“You must have been very young when we met, молодой.” She says softly, and Steve can see the tactic she’s going with, but the boy flinches back.

“Do _not_ call me that. _Лжец._ ”

Natasha’s jaw drops at that and both Steve and Clint stop for a moment. It isn’t often that Nat is caught off guard. “There’s no way.” She says softly, stepping towards the mirrored glass. 

The boy shakes his head, as if he’s begging her not to do something. 

“He has a sister.” She says, face pale as she faces the window. The boy is frozen, looking more terrified than he had before. 

Steve, unnerved at seeing Natasha so shaken, yanks the door open to let Natasha leave. As soon as the door closes, the boy begins _yelling_ , pounding at the window and begging – something in a different language. It’s one Natasha must understand because she’s flinching at every word, looking more emotional than Steve had ever seen her. 

“I knew them when they were young. Ванда and Pietro. They were twins, just children…” Natasha shuts her eyes and clenches her jaw. From her side, Clint lays a hand on her shoulder. 

She shakes her head and takes a deep breath. “They were sent to the red room for training. He was powerful but the things his sister could go… She could drive people insane with her powers. She... she manipulated minds." 

Clint’s hand drops from her shoulder and looks to Steve in both shock and _terror._

“We need to get to the tower. _Right. Now._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay SORRY for the cliffhanger but i'm on fall break right now so the chances of me uploading again soon are vvvv likely so i felt okay leaving you guys hanging a lil bit >:) 
> 
> Next chapter: Meet some new characters, build some armor, go on missions. 
> 
> Please comment & kudos!! I love hearing back from y'all :) I hope everyones school year is going well!!
> 
> Literally no one:  
> Me: uses italics in every sentence
> 
> Translations   
> молодой - young one  
> Лжец - Liar  
> Ванда - Wanda


	4. Knows no bounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keeping even more secrets, meeting even more friends :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it has been... so long. pls forgive me

The woman on the other side of the room doesn’t look angry or scary the way she did the last time Tony saw her. She looks _scared_. 

She had appeared with the same exact entrance that she had before, curling clouds of smoke filling the room until Tony felt like he _couldn’t breathe_ , but something was different. The smoke cleared almost instantly and instead of a demanding, layered voice booming through the room, it’s just-

“I’m so sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t _mean_ to. They made me. _Please_.” 

The girl’s voice is soft and trembling. She can’t be older than 18, not with the way she’s curling in on herself across the room, shaking as though Tony’s the thing to be afraid of here. Tony’s shaking to, arm jammed almost painfully into the crude glove-like contraption that’s connected to a miniature arc reactor. He hasn’t tested it at all, isn’t even sure if a shot from the reactor would be more than a slight shock—isn’t sure if it would result in the entire building imploding, either. 

“It’s okay.” Tony says, almost as a reflex, also because he doesn’t know what else to say. “W-who is they?” He asks, voice giving away just how petrified he truly is. Steve said he’d be back soon- he said Shield was probably already in the building. His eyes shift towards the large glass doors. 

The girl pays no mind to his obvious discomfort, sliding heavily down the metal wall behind her. She meets his eyes, “HYDRA.” The words are nothing but a pained whisper. Tony closes his eyes at the confirmation, not surprised. 

“You are not surprised.” She says, tilting her head. Tony suddenly recognizes the slight accent, takes in her long red hair. “They did say you were even more clever than your father.”

Tony wants to know more. What information could they possibly have on Tony? He had spent the years following his parents death throwing himself into the company and distancing himself from just about every other human being aside from Clint and occasionally Natasha. There’s no way HYDRA could have information on him unless one of the people closest to him were double agents. Or unless Howard truly gave them anything they wanted… maybe he wasn’t above sharing his own son’s secrets. 

“What’s your name?” Tony finally settles on. He’s not an interrogator, he’s barely got any way of properly defending himself. He just wants to stay alive until help arrives.

“They called me many things.” She says, her voice soft and almost dream-like, “prizrak,” sometimes “ved’ma.” She’s quiet for another moment. “I think I like to be called Wanda.”

“Wanda.” Tony intones softly, and her eyes shoot back to his. 

Her words turn frantic, “I’m here to warn you, Stark. I’m sorry for what I have done but-“

The doors to the lab burst open. Within seconds there are Shield agents covering the room, weapons trained on the girl opposing Tony. There’s a hand running along Tony’s side and the omega grips Clint’s hand tightly. “I’m okay.” He says immediately, feeling the worry coming off his pack mate in waves. Clint’s body language stays on guard, but his eyes soften. Just seconds later, an overwhelming scent fills the room and Tony braces himself, turning just in time to allow Steve’s hands to grip his neck gently. The alpha uses the hold to maneuver his eyes across Tony’s face, first, then down to the rest of his body. 

Tony closes his eyes briefly, trying to relish in the protective, supportive hold of the alpha in front of him. 

“Tony,” Steve’s voice is somehow deeper than Tony remembered, “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine. I’m okay.” Tony repeats, eyes wavering to move towards Wanda. “She- she said she’s here to help.” 

The chaos in the room dies down a little at his words. “ _What?_ ” Clint says, shock evident on his face and even Natasha, who had been busy inching closer towards Wanda, stops in her tracks. 

“She- Wanda.” Tony corrects, remembering the heartbreaking look that had crossed the girl’s face when talking about her names, “Wanda apologized and said she wants to help.”

The room is nearly completely silent, “Right.” Clint says, clearly looking over Tony once more to see signs of injury.

“Wanda confirmed my belief that she is—was? Working with HYDRA.” He says as plainly as possible. He didn’t have any other information to give, anyway.

He doesn’t look up to see Steve’s distrustful look but he can feel it burning into the top of his head, he looks to Clint instead.

The archer just shakes his head, looking dumbfounded, “Tony, her brother purposefully set a trap in Baltimore this morning so that she could come here while we were gone. How is none of this suspicious to you?”

“We aren’t the ones that you need to worry about.” The girl says softly and the room quiets even further. 

The entire room looks to her and she moves to stand. Ignoring the multiple noises of weapons being drawn in her direction, she speaks to Tony directly. “Now that Pietro and I have failed, they will send _soldat_ after you. It is inevitable.” 

From her place beside him, Natasha flinches. “That is just a ghost story, Wanda, you can’t-“ 

“The Red Room is a ghost story.” Wanda fires back, “HYDRA is a ghost story.” Her voice loses it’s energy quickly. “They are all the same… until they are not.”

“Okay, okay, hold up. Who is Soul-det?” Clint asks, impatience filling his tone. 

Wanda spends another moment eyeing Natasha before turning towards the team. “ _Soldat_.” She repeats, “The Winter Soldier is HYDRA’s greatest weapon. He’s stronger than fifty soldiers with the stealth and aim of an assassin. He has never failed a mission.”

Steve growls, “How do you know he’s going to come after Tony? _Why_?”

“With Pietro and I out of their control they will have no other choice. They don’t like to send him out on such remedial missions, so they sent us. Now that they realize Stark is under the protection of the Avengers, however…” She allows the team to fill in the blanks. She turns to the young omega once more, looking just as scared and apologetic as she had before. “Soldat will not stop until he has you. I’m a manipulator- they wanted me to change your mind with my powers. The soldier does not have my powers. He will be forced to take a more direct approach.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Steve asks, voice deep and angry as he shifts closer to Tony. “How are we supposed to believe any of this?”

Wanda give the alpha a dark look, “I cannot make you believe me, but you would be fools not to. HYDRA wants to control Stark in the same way they controlled the last merchant of death. They will do whatever is necessary to have their weapons back.”

Steve opens his mouth, clearly about to contradict her words before the suspicious smell of old spice and leather fill the room. Fury blazes into the room, gesturing to a group of soldiers that immediately vacate the vicinity. “The girl is right, Rogers.” He all but mutters his first words and the remaining team members all but gape at him.

“Nick. You’re saying…?” Natasha steps forward and Fury nods. 

“Shield has been investigating the uprising of an unknown group across Northeast Asia. It wasn’t confirmed until recently, but HYDRA is back, and they’ve got their own team of supers.” Fury’s words aren’t taken lightly. 

Steve looks between the omega still hovering in his arms and the mutant across the room. “Howard actually was a part of this?” 

Fury doesn’t show emotion- it’s not in his code. But he sighs, and shakes his head in what seems to be some form of sympathy. “We don’t know much yet, but Howard was…” Fury’s eye drifts to meet Tony’s. “Howard wasn’t the same after you went under, Cap.”

Steve looks destroyed. Tony has to look away, unable to watch his own father disappoint Captain America the same way he had disappointed Tony years and years ago. With little else to do with himself, he looks back to Wanda. 

She doesn’t look as though she has much more to say, the little energy she had before was completely depleted. “They tried to keep us uninformed. My mission was to get Stark to submit. The handlers suggested using his father because he was a weakness that I could exploit.” Her eyes are apologetic and pitying. Tony looks to the side, embarrassed. She knew more about his relationship with Howard than she was letting on.

“How would they have known that?” He asks lowly. According to the public, Howard and Tony were closer than ever. How else would an omega like Tony have learned how to be such an amazing engineer if he didn’t have a strong, smart Alpha like Howard teaching him? 

Wanda meets his eyes with a dark, incredulous gaze. “HYDRA’s influence knows no bounds.”

* * *

Tony can’t fall asleep.

Just hours ago Wanda had agreed to return to Shield to reunite with her brother and continue answering questions. She had left the tower with another furtive glance in Tony’s direction, and the omega had immediately retreated to his room. 

He didn’t want to deal with any questions from the team about Howard’s involvement with HYDRA and he certainly didn’t want to deal with Steve’s guilty eyes following him around. A part of him wanted to gloat to the alpha—that shows him to underestimate Tony Stark’s stellar research and deduction skills. 

There’s nothing to gloat over. He had hoped that his father, despite the obviously horrific relationship he had with the old man, wouldn’t have stooped that low. He had wanted to believe that although Howard hated his guts, maybe there was still a semblance of a good man in his lineage. Tony presses his palms to his face, covering his burning eyes. 

He had wanted to believe Steve’s words. For once in his life, Tony wishes that he was wrong. 

Tony sits up from his bed. It’s too cold and too big. He doesn’t allow himself to think as he pads down the hallway and turns a couple of corners. 

He takes a deep breath and raises his hand to knock when the door opens.

“Tony.” Steve’s voice is low, gravely. Tony suppresses a shiver. 

“Can I sleep here?” Tony blurts. Completely inappropriate. Not at all what he meant to say, either. He had just come here to talk. Steve had been so good at talking the other night and Tony had just wanted to clear the air. 

Despite Tony’s embarrassment, Steve doesn’t even hesitate. “Yes! Yeah, of course. I’d- I mean. Yes.” The older man stumbles across the affirmation and his ears are tinged with red. 

Tony steps closer and allows Steve to lead him into the room. It’s spacious, like all of the rooms in the tower, but somehow it seems cozier than Tony’s room. 

“Tony,” Steve starts, hands shoved into his pajama pant's pockets and _dang it_ \- he’s cute. “I just… we never got to talk, after today. I’m sorry that I didn’t believe you. You came to me because you said you trusted me and I completely shut you down. I’m so sorry, I just-”

“You didn’t want to believe that someone you trusted could have ever stooped that low. It makes sense, Steve. You don’t need to apologize.” Tony interrupts, having already gone through this conversation in his head many times. 

Steve shakes his head before Tony even finishes his sentence. “It doesn’t matter if it makes sense, Tony. We’re on a team, I should have trusted your judgement.” He looks at his feet in what might be anger. “I should have listened. I was being a bad a friend and… an even worse alpha.”

Tony opens his mouth and closes it once more. He _was_ upset when Steve hadn’t believed him and the apology did kind of make him feel better. “Well, I’m sorry too.” Tony says. He ignores Steve’s confused look as he flops down onto Steve’s mattress. “I know that you and Howard were close, it must suck to find out exactly what he was capable of.” 

“You’re not going to apologize for your father’s actions, right?” Steve asks slowly as he sits next to Tony. 

The omega lets out a sigh, allowing himself to lean into Steve’s warmth. “I’m not, it’s just- you guys were friends, so I know you must be disappointed.” 

Steve doesn’t say anything but Tony can feel the ghost of the words that the alpha wants to say. _‘he was my friend but he was_ your _father,’ ‘you must be disappointed too, I’m sorry,’ ‘did you ever suspect anything?’_

Luckily, Steve has the foresight not to ask any of those questions. Tony’s grateful for the silence and it isn’t long before the two settle into the bed more comfortably. Before they turn the lights out, Steve turns to face the younger boy in his bed. Tony wonders for a moment if this is weird, but he brushes it off quickly. He figures he and Steve will initiate a pack bond sometime soon anyway- similar to how he and Clint did. Sleeping as a pack was a lot more normal 50 years ago, but a lot of people still did it for comfort. 

"I know you don't want to talk about it, and we don't have to." Steve says quickly as they're laying face-to-face. "I just want to say that I hope you know I really respect you, not just as a team member but as a person. You're incredible." The alpha's hand runs down Tony's back lightly and he can tell that Steve wants to say more. "You mean a lot to me, Tony." Steve says and Tony closes his eyes, trying his best not to let his heart race away like it wants to. 

"You mean a lot to me too, Steve. Not just as Captain America... though I _do_ happen to have a little bit of a soft spot for the guy." Tony responds and Steve raises an eyebrow.

"I might have heard something about that. Remind me, was it nine halloween costumes or ten?" 

Tony punches the alpha on the shoulder, groaning, "If only I had known then what a little punk Captain America really is." 

Steve chuckles, wrapping an arm around Tony and hugging him close, Tony presses his face into Steve's shoulder, inhaling the familiar safe scent there. 

Steve, despite his claim a few nights ago that he usually has trouble sleeping, is out like a light. 

Tony takes his time. The constant thrum that was invading his head earlier has quieted by now, just a dull buzz in his brain.

Tony stares at the picture next to Steve’s bed. It’s old, clearly taken from before Steve went into the ice. The picture had Steve, smiling as big as Tony had ever seen him, stuck in the headlock of another man who was smiling just as wide. Of course Tony knew who it was. Even if he hadn’t grown up with pictures of the Howling Commandoes covering the walls of his house, Steve had described Bucky Barnes many times. 

He was tall, Steve always says. In the pictures he can see that Steve is clearly taller, but Tony’s pretty sure Steve still sees Bucky the way he saw him while growing up when he was just over 5 foot. Brown hair, blue eyes, always popular with the ladies. Tony can see why. His heart aches as he looks at the picture. He likes to think Steve is happy here, but has he ever seen Steve with that carefree look before? He hates the look Steve gets when he talks about Bucky. Sometimes it’s wistful, longing, or some kind of fond. Most of the time it’s just sad. 

Steve exhales softly to his left, and a strong, heavy arm drapes itself over Tony’s waist. He tries his best not to snuggle backwards but allows his hand to cover Steve’s arm, a tad helplessly. Tony’s crush is just a little hero worship gone too far—he’ll get over it eventually. For now, he’ll allow himself the comfort of a strong alpha who seems to care about him at least a little bit. Blinking at the tattered picture of Steve and his dead best friend one last time, Tony closes his eyes and tries to sleep.

* * *

“Jay, you’re sure you let Steve know that I’m going to a meeting right?” Tony repeats later the next morning, mind in fifty different places as he tries to remember what this meeting is about. “Wouldn’t want a repeat of last time’s freak out.” 

JARVIS intones, “As I said before, sir, Captain Rogers is aware of your current status. He says to tell you ‘good luck’.” 

The two had woken up tangled together even more intricately than they had fallen asleep. Steve’s arms wrapped completely around the omega and his head snoozing against Tony’s fluffy bedhead. They hadn’t said much, just an awkward cough as Steve rolled out to go on his morning run. He had left Tony with a hand carding through the younger’s hair, but no words were exchanged.

Tony rolls his eyes at the awkward memory before stepping off the elevator, tapping his receptionist’s desk lightly with an easy smile, “Amy, please do a sleep-deprived, emotionally exhausted, and slightly depressed kid a favor and remind what today’s meeting is about?” 

Amy, a beautiful middle-aged brunette who is definitely not paid enough to deal with Tony’s BS, rolls her eyes. “You’re having a meeting with HammerTech about a partnership offer. And you’re late.” 

“Shoot,” Tony mutters, blowing a half-hearted kiss to the woman behind the desk, “Thanks, Amy, be sure to send yourself some flowers from me, okay?” 

Tony wracks his mind, trying to remember why the name HammerTech sounds so familiar. He doesn’t have to wonder for long, though, because he’s stopped in his tracks the moment he opens the door to the main conference room.

“Obie,” Tony blurts in an awed whisper. 

Obadiah Stane hadn’t changed one bit since the last time Tony saw him at his father’s funeral. He’s still _huge_ —almost as tall as Steve, with a neat beard and perfectly tailored suit.

Howard and Obie had been long time friends and business partners for most of Tony’s childhood. Tony hadn’t heard much from the older man since his parents died, he had been too busy finishing his degree and preparing to take over SI at the time to notice that Stane had been building up his own company.

“Tony, my boy!” Obie greets with a friendly, familiar smile. His voice is just as deep and comforting as it used to be. “It’s been too long. How are you? How’s the company?” 

Tony shakes off his surprise in an effort to keep some kind of professionalism as he remembers this is a business meeting. “I’m doing great, Obie, and business has never been better. Thanks for coming by.” 

Obie looks pleased, sitting back down at the table and gesturing for Tony to do the same.

One of the board members speaks up as Tony sits, “Mr. Stark, as you know, we’ve been looking into a partnership with Mr. Stane’s organization. Ever since we moved away from weapons construction the defense market has been left with much to be desired.”

Tony did not know that. He simply raises his eyebrows, not willing to show Obie just how much this meeting caught him off guard. “And what sort of partnership do you propose?” 

The board members nervously exchange glances. “Mr. Stark, with your expertise in the engineering field and with Mr. Stane’s experience in the weapons market, we believe-"

Tony cuts them off instantly. "I'm sorry, I think there must have been a miscommunication. I'd be happy to partner with HammerTech on many things, Obie, but SI doesn't do weapons. Not anymore."

The men around the room gape at him in disbelief, as though it is news to them that their CEO discontinued their weapons production months ago. 

Obadiah raises a hand, signaling for the sputtering board members to stop. “Tony, I understand your concerns. Don’t you ever wonder why Howard and I went separate ways? When I found out about the questionable way SI was distributing weapons I went to your father personally to try and sort things out. I was severely uncomfortable with how our weapons made for the US army were being found in enemy territory.” The older man shifts in his seat, an offbeat look in his eyes, “That’s where your father and I disagreed. He thought as long as we were making money, it didn’t matter.” Obie sighs, “I won’t speak ill of the deceased but you know your father, Tony, he wasn’t exactly easy to convince. When I couldn’t make him stop production, I decided that it would be for the best if I left the company. I got into this business because I wanted to help protect and defend the people that risk their lives for our country, but I can’t do that without your help. And this time around, we’ll be able to do it the right way. No backhanded deals, no potential for these weapons to fall into the wrong hands.” 

Tony looks away from Obie’s imploring look. He understood the sad, betrayed look the older man had when speaking about Howard. He had felt the same exact way when he had found out about Howard’s betrayal. “It’s something I will have to think about. SI has been trying to go in a different direction but…” Tony trails off. “You’re a good man, Obie. I have no doubt that SI and HammerTech would do great things.” 

Obadiah stands, taking Tony’s hand to shake with a pleased smile on his face. “Thank you, Tony, for considering. You’ve really done wonders here at SI, even better than Howard, I’d say."

Tony tries his best to hide his preen as he walks Obie out, feeling warmer than he had in a while. Obie’s just about to duck into the car waiting for him when he suddenly turns, “By the way, Tony, HammerTech is having a gala this Saturday. Kind of an party for one of our newer partners. You should come, we can catch up more there.” 

A small voice that sounds a lot like Maria Stark whispers in the back of his mind, _never decline an invitation to a party_. Tony nods, “If my schedule is clear then I’ll be there.”

* * *

Tony’s spends the rest of his day in the workshop. His conversation with Obie in the forefront of his mind. He thought his days of creating weapons were done. Ever since Howard died and he finally got control of the company, he thought there was no way SI would ever go down that road again. There’s something about Obie’s words that made Tony want to try. The older alpha had always been so kind to Tony, even when he was just a little kid interrupting his business meetings. Obie had often been the only thing standing in between Tony and Howard’s violent punishments, brushing off the interruptions with a laugh and a light pat on the head. 

Tony almost feels like he owes Obie. This is how he can thank him for looking out for him. 

He taken away from his thoughts by JARVIS letting him know that Agent Coulson is requesting entry. 

Tony gives a lone glance to the metal gauntlet that he’s been working on. There’s a miniaturized arc reactor pulsing in the palm of the glove, the rest reinforced by durable titanium in a grip that fits his hand perfectly. Tony sighs, unsure where this project is even going to go before sliding his arm out of the glove and shoving it under the desk. Tony goes to the workshop door and opens it. 

“Agent! To what do I owe the pleasure?” He asks dramatically. Coulson rolls his eyes, moving past Tony and into the workshop quickly. Tony blinks and shuts the door. 

He follows the agent, who pulls out a packet of papers from god-knows-where and looks at Tony expectantly. 

“Um… am I supposed to know what this is about?” Tony asks dumbly. 

Coulson laughs in a huff and sits. “Tony, I have a proposition for you. It’s serious, though and would require a lot from you.”

Tony raises his eyebrows, “You know, Phil, I’m flattered, but you’re not really my type.” 

Coulson shoots him a look, “Right, you usually go for the tall, blonde alphas wearing red, white and blue.”

Tony fights a blush as he sends a glare Agent's way. Okay, he deserved that. 

“This pertains to Shield. We need your assistance on a top secret mission. If you accept, you need to know that top secret means no one outside of this conversation can know. That means lying to the Avengers and never speaking of what happens during your mission to anyone other than myself and Director Fury.” Coulson says this all without a single smile or laugh. Tony glances around the room, feeling like the camera crew of Punk’d is about to jump out.

“You’re actually serious?” He asks, just to make sure.

“Yes.” Coulson confirms. “We need you to infiltrate an event, receive a package, and deliver it back to Shield undetected.” 

Tony gapes, “Why?” At Coulson’s silence he reassesses. “I mean, why me? You have hundreds of trained, experienced agents on hand. There are actually two living upstairs, if you didn’t know.”

The agent in front of him shakes his head. “I can’t tell you any of this until you decide to take the mission. If you decide not to, that’s okay and no one would judge you for it. This is a highly dangerous mission that needs to be taken seriously.”

“If you’re asking me then I guess I can assume this is a dire situation. You wouldn’t ask me unless you really needed me to.” Tony says, mostly to himself. 

Coulson stays silent.

“If that’s your choice, then you need to sign this.” Coulson pushes the packet of papers towards Tony. “With our agents this is done in the preliminary stages of hiring but, since you're not on our payroll we need to do this now. It simply states that if you are devastatingly injured or killed, Shield has every governmental right to cover up your injury or subsequent death and make other arrangements.”

“Not intimidating at all, agent.” Tony says dryly. He reads through the contract. Before Tony could walk he knew that you never sign anything until you’ve read every word of the agreement. The contract involves many terrifying articles and it takes Tony a few minutes to get through all of it, but Coulson says nothing until Tony signs it. 

He hopes Coulson can’t tell how scared his is. 

“We have some suspicions when it comes to HammerTech.” Coulson says simply and Tony’s eyes widen considerably. “There is a Shield agent that has been infiltrating their ranks for several years now and finally has gotten some information that we need to see. It’s come to our attention that you were invited to a HammerTech gala. It isn’t hard for us to get agents into these types of events but our mole has been under suspicion for a long time. This agent won’t be able to talk to random people without drawing more attention to themselves so we needed someone important, someone with a real reason to be there and someone who is inconspicuous.”

“Me.” Tony says softly. “There’s no way Tony Stark could be a Shield agent.” 

“Exactly.” Coulson agrees. “Saturday night, you will attend the event alone, and act as you would at any other gala until the agent approaches you. They will pass off the package and you will wait no longer than an hour before you leave the event and come straight back here. I’ll be waiting to take it off of you.” 

Tony’s nails dig into his thigh under the table. “How do I know who the agent is?” 

Coulson shakes his head. “Alpha. Red hair. It will be obvious. That is the least of your concerns. Once you have the package, don’t leave immediately. Continue to socialize, act natural. Give yourself an hour tops and then leave. Come straight to the tower where I’ll take the package from you.” 

“Just like that?” Tony says, 

“Just like that.” Coulson agrees. “I feel the need to remind you that under _no_ circumstances, can any of the Avengers find out that this is happening. Not only would they track you and ruin the mission entirely, they would probably slaughter me for putting you in danger.”

Tony scoffs, waving off Coulson’s concerns. “You really think I want those overprotective alphas knowing about this? They’d never let me leave the tower again. Speaking of… I’m sure you know of Steve’s rule. I’m not supposed to leave the tower without some kind of supervision."

"A shield agent will escort you there and back. We'll get an agent that the team knows and trusts so they will be more at ease. Tell them you're going for business purposes only. You're dreading the event because you _always_ dread these kind of events. Remember, Tony. Act. Natural."

"Totally." Tony says as robotically as possible. "Acting natural. Easy Peasy."

The agent tries his best to hide his disheartened sigh, "This is for you. Please, only use it in case of an emergency.” Coulson says, placing an immaculate looking handgun in Tony’s palm before marching out of the room without a backwards glance. 

Tony sniffs, tossing the gun into a drawer in his desk before flipping down his goggles once more and lighting up the blow torch he had been working with. No need for handguns, Tony’s got his own weapons to test out. 

Lying to the team won’t be easy, but Tony’s going to have to get used to it if his secret project keeps going as well as it has been lately. He picks his hand up, charging the reactor with the press of a button and releases. 

A loud whine sounds before a blinding, blue-white light fills the room and forces Tony to close his eyes for a second. 

Dust settles and smoke clears slowly, not helped by the intense amount that Dum-E is blasting away with a fire extinguisher. 

Tony shakes his head grinning widely at the large dent in his concrete wall. Yeah, the team can _never_ find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not quite as long of a chapter but luckily I already have a lot of the next written :) I promise not to leave y'all hanging like I did last time again I was kind of going through it with college and quarantine BUT I'm finding my drive again so yay!
> 
> I really hope you are all staying healthy out there. 
> 
> How are we feeling? Any thoughts of where things are going?
> 
> Translations:  
> pizrak- ghost  
> ved'ma- witch
> 
> Tony: This is my friend Wanda she tried to kill me a few days ago but she is Actually Really Cool :) 
> 
> Steve, Clint, Nat, everyone: tonY NO


End file.
